Not Alone: A Miraculous Ladybug Story
by unforgetabELLE
Summary: Adrien discovers a clue that hints at what really happened to his mother. With the help of Marinette and his friends, he begins a journey to unearth the truth and figure out just how his father is involved. However, the truth leads them down a path that uncovers something much bigger, threatening their lives and leaving the future of Paris hanging in the balance.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

He tore across Paris' rooftops. It was broad daylight-10 am in the morning to be exact- but Chat Noir couldn't care less. Running concentrated his energy, and Chat was angrier than he could remember ever being in his life.

Finally calmed down, at least as calm as he could possibly be in the circumstances, Chat stopped on a rooftop. It was the building adjacent to the school, where he should actually be right now, he noted absentmindedly, and paced, wearing a distinct path in the gravel on the roof. He could feel Plagg's desire to be released, but he knew what his kwami would say, and Adrien didn't trust himself not to snap at one of the little god's sarcastic remarks or demands for cheese. The thought made him smile, and he felt a bit calmer. Plagg settled a bit more, and Adrien's frantic pace became more contemplative.

He glanced over at the school, his heart still racing from adrenaline and his eyes encountered two azure gems staring worriedly in his direction. The building he was on was only a bit taller than the second floor of the college. At this angle, he had a uninterrupted view of Marinette. His heart gave an irregular beat and then calmed considerably. Focusing on her only, he gave her a small smile and wave. She didn't smile but cocked her head to the side inquisitively as if asking _Are you alright?_ He forced himself to smile a bit bigger, and surprisingly did feel better for the action. He gave her a jaunty wink. She smirked and he felt a pang in his chest. Her smile was so reminiscent of his mother's yet somehow still so Marinette at the same time.

Looking back he noticed her leaving the classroom and sighed. Left alone again to his own thoughts, he sat with his back to the ledge of the building, remembering his encounter with his father that morning.

Adrien stood, rooted in place by an insurmountable force in front of his father's safe that Plagg had just helped him break into. Somehow he was still upright, despite the waves of shock and grief wracking through his entire being.

"What is this," he choked out, half growl, half sob.

His father stood immovable across the room from him. His body as straight and motionless as possible, but his normally impassive face ricocheted through so many emotions it gave Adrien whiplash. Shock. Grief. Sadness. Relief. Fear. Love. It finally returned to his old friend of the last year. Cold indifference.

"It's a picture of your mother," Gabriel stated the obvious with a raised eyebrow, as if daring his son to question him further. It wasn't a lie. It _was_ a picture of his mother. The part his father wasn't addressing was the fact that it was a picture of her from last week. The date stated it was taken 6 days ago. _6 days ago_. His mother had been missing for a 15 months and 13 days. 15 months of grief and despair of ever having his family reunited. A feeling he, naively, assumed he and his father shared. 15 months of indifference from his last remaining family member, only excused in Adrien's mind because he'd lost the love of his life. Adrien was a romantic after all; he could only imagine what such a loss would do to a person. If anything ever happened to Ladybug…

But no. Gabriel apparently knew exactly where his wife was, and judging from the picture, she was alive and well. The anger and indignation built like a force inside of Adrien, but it came out in a whisper. If there was one thing he learned from his father, it was that silence and indifference were much harsher weapons than showing any emotion, even rage.

"This is from last week," Adrien whispered calmly, carefully suppressing his rage.

"So it is," replied Gabriel, grief flashing like lightning in his eyes, so quick Adrien almost missed it.

His arm started to raise towards Adrien's face, towards his child's cheek. Despite Adrien's composure beyond his years, his son was still only a boy. Mature for his age, having gone through much more than any person, let alone 15 year old, should have to endure, but Gabriel could still see the betrayal in his son's eyes. He tried to keep Adrien at a distance, and conceal the truth of his mother's disappearance, but Gabriel was keenly aware of the fact that in doing so he was slowly pushing his only child away. It killed him, but Adrien's safety would always come before Gabriel's personal happiness. Regardless, the father and son had, until now, been united through their assumed grief since Adela's loss. In this moment, he could see even that shattering in Adrien's eyes.

An inch from Adrien's cheek, Gabriel redirected his hand and instead brushed an imaginary speck of dirt off his shoulder. "Natalie is waiting outside for you. Hurry or you'll be late for school."

"But, Father, " Adrien started to protest, but was cut off by a look from his father. "Fine," he relented, knowing nothing he said would change his father's response. Tucking the photo into his bag, he lifted his head and turned his back on his father, walking defiantly out of the room.

The instant the door shut, Gabriel crumbled into his seat, a dry sob retching from his throat, for Gabriel had shed a lifetime's worth of tears already and had none left.

"You used to call me Papa," he whispered in anguish. Looking at the portrait of his wife hanging across the room."Adela,"he murmured, almost in a prayer, "please let this be right. Please be safe."

He shut his eyes, letting the mask of the last year fall back in place. Facade securely reconstructed, he straightened his tie and walked towards the spiral staircase and into the attic, off to fulfill his deal to the devil.

 **Hi everyone! Thanks for reading chapter 1 of** _ **Not Alone**_ **!**

 **I just wanted to do a quick disclaimer and shout out to some other fics that I reference in this story**

 **I don't own Miraculous Ladybug or any of its characters (obviously). Also, there are some references in this fanfiction to** _ **other**_ **fanfictions. We've been in this horrible between seasons phase for so long now, I can't even remember what's canon and what has just been accepted by the fandom as truth. I'll list below some names I may have pilfered from other fics and update when people point stuff out to me (as I'm sure you all won't hesitate to do!)**

 **Also, this story is complete, but I will be uploading chapters as I finish editing them for grammar (Basically, you don't need to worry about getting invested in this only to have me fall off the map and never finish it. All 50 chapters +epilogue are done. yay!)**

 **References: (may contain spoilers, read with caution)**

 **1\. there's a mention of "Project Runway" which is a nod to another fantastic fanfic from Inkkerfuffle (best name ever) called** _ **Chasing the C/h/atwalk (**_ **/works/6095266/chapters/13971763)**

 **2\. Hawkmoth's transformation phrase (chapter 29) is taken (i'm pretty sure) from a comic somewhere. If you find it, let me know and I'll link it here (it makes me chuckle every time, so I had to include it.)**

 **3\. Volpino (check out midnightstarlightwirtes and her story Smoulder to meet Louis, the character you wish Astruc would create, not that we don't all love Alya :D ) /works/6697144/chapters/15317038**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Marinette was staring into a daydream. Adrien had not come into school that morning. Leaving her nothing to oogle at, she blankly into the distance instead, imagining and infinite amount of impossible designs.

That's when she saw him. Pacing in such a fury, she was surprised he didn't create flames in his wake.

"Mon chaton," she mouthed to herself, her brow creasing in confusion as to what had gotten into her usually bubbly and carefree partner. His head pivoted and he met her eyes, as if a part of his soul had heard her, even with the distance and walls that separated them. He smiled and waved, but she couldn't do the same, still worried about him. She tilted her head, wondering if he was okay. He winked, and his countenance seemed to have lightened a bit, but it was still much darker than usual. Her cat may be darkness and a bringer of destruction, but she had no misgivings; he was pure light and joy. Ladybug's perfect balance.

She raised her hand, and quickly asked to be excused, claiming an upset stomach and giving Ms. Bustier what she hoped was a pointed look. She darted out of the room and up the stairwell to the roof. She transformed before stepping out, and then jumped over the outcropping on the roof where the door let out, towards him, giving the impression that she had bounded over from another rooftop.

When she got to the edge of the roof though, she didn't see him. Jumping to the roof where he was, she looked around and saw him huddled in a corner. He caught her eye and quickly wiped tears from his face, but her reaction was quicker. Her chest constricted in pain for her partner and rushed over, gathering him into her arms.

"Mon chaton," she whispered, "shh. It'll be okay"

He laughed darkly saying, "I doubt it," but pulled her closer.

Chat didn't know how Ladybug knew where to find him or that he needed someone...no not someone, that he needed her...but at that moment he didn't care.

"What's wrong, kitty," she asked pulling back, "what can I do? Whose ass do I have to kick?"

He chuckled, but answered truthfully.

"My dad's, I think." he paused, "I don't know."

Her eyebrows crinkled, creating that little crease she got in her brow when she was confused, a rare occurrence for his Lady.

"Chat, " she began," do you need help?" she asked delicately.

He smiled sadly at her, "No my lady. Not like that, but thank you." He lightly squeezed her hand, only to feel her squeeze back tighter.

"Do you want to talk about it?" she asked softly.

He paused, weighing his need to tell her, with her need for anonymity, but eventually nodded. She scooted over next to him, pulling his head onto her shoulder and running her fingers through his disheveled hair as he recounted his story-names omitted-leading up to this morning's events.

When he finished they sat in silence, until Ladybug sighed.

"Oh Kitty, " She whispered with tears in her eyes. She laid her head on top of his. "What do you want to do?"

He remained silent, so unaccustomed to having someone ask what he wanted for once.

"I need to know." he responded simply.

"Then we'll find out," she promised, just as simply.

"But first I need a favor"

"Okay," she replied without hesitation.

"I need to reveal myself to you."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

He immediately blushed, and she couldn't help herself and broke out into giggles. When she had control of herself again, she smiles at him

"I'm sorry, i'm sorry," she said breathlessly, "even I'm not mature enough to ignore that one," she giggle again.

Chat smiled genuinely, her giggles bringing a much needed levity to his life.

"That's not what i meant," he said with a small smile. "But maybe one day, " he continued with a flirtatious grin. She smacked his arm, but it was without force; she was just so relieved to hear his usual self shine through the fog he had been under.

"I know what you meant chaton, " she sighed, getting back on topic.

"I need to reveal my _identity_ to you. I just can't have all these lies in my life anymore," he stared at her, pleading with his eyes for her to understand. "I need someone to know me. All of me. Please." he added in a whisper. "You don't have to reveal your identity. In fact, " he stated suddenly, "I don't want you to. Not yet. Not until you're ready. But I am. I need to do this."

She stared into his face, as if looking for some invisible signal. After what seemed like an eternity, she nodded, and Chat released a breath he hadn't realized he was holding.

"Okay?" he asked.

"Okay" she responded.

Ladybug's heart was racing at a breakneck speed. He needed this. She knew that. She could see it in his eyes, clear as day, but she couldn't. Despite everything, she still had the niggling feeling of insecurity that he'd be disappointed if he knew. Everyone would. Marinette wasn't anything special, but she wanted Ladybug to be. She couldn't give up that sliver of mystery she had yet, not even to the person she trusted more than anyone. As long as it was a secret, she could pretend he'd be thrilled. That he'd still love the girl, not just the mask.

She held her breath as she saw the flash of green as he released his transformation.

"Uh, my lady?" he asked after a moment, and she realized she had closed her eyes.

Slowly, she opened one eye, and then both flew open, wide as saucers.

"Mon. Dieu." she gasped, feeling the world tilt a bit around her. She felt a prickling along the bridge of her nose, and then the tears started to flow. His face flashed in horror and sadness.

"No, no, no!" she practically shouted and tackled him, not wanting him to think for even a moment that she was at all disappointed. "Adrien!" she cried, pulling him impossibly close in an embrace.

Adrien hugged her back with as much force, infinitely relieved that he had misread her silence.

"Wait," he said pulling back suddenly. "Do we know each other?"

She blushed. _Oh my god,_ he thought, _I just made Ladybug blush_. If anything could distract him from his current melancholy, that would be it.

"Yes," she revealed quietly. "But I'm not saying how," she continued with a coy smile.

" You'll tell me one day?"

"Yes, I promise" she said with a soft look in her eyes.

He grinned and pulled her back into his arms, and smiled even wider when he felt her nestle her nose into his neck. He relaxed, truly happy for the first time in a long time, despite the dour circumstances that lead to this moment.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Marinette sighed for the umph-teenth time it seemed in the last two weeks. This time it was in the library at school though, so she got a few annoyed looks. Shaking her head, she turned her mind back to the task at hand. Adela Agreste: missing person for almost 15 months, designated cold case, no new leads for 10 months.

"You'd think such a high profile person would attract more speculation at least," Marinette muttered to herself, scratching her head with the back of her pencil, tongue slightly peeking out of her lips in a look of concentration.

Suddenly the articles she had been combing through disappeared from beneath her hands. She sat up like a lightning bolt and looked around frantically, spotting her best friend and future journalist extraordinaire Alya. She could feel her face darken in a crimson blush as she scrambled out of her seat and made a mad grab for the articles.

"Alya!" she whisper-screamed indignantly-they were in a library after all. "Gimme tho-stop-Alya, don't-"

Alya's face was quizzical, but she gave the papers back; she'd already gleaned the information that she needed to know. Far from her usual teasing self, she looked at Marinette seriously, wondering what on earth the girl could be up to.

"Why are you looking into Adrien's mom?" she asked point blank. Alya could always be relied upon for two things: to be direct and to judge only after she got the facts.

Unfortunately for Marinette, explaining to Alya was the least of her worries. Just as she asked this question, Nino with Adrien in tow walked into the library.

Adrien, smiling at Nino's insistence on showing him his new mix software, followed his eager friend into the library, where personal devices were allowed. Nino was softly beat-boxing to himself as he scanned the library for an open table, and turned to point out Alya and Marinette to him just as Alya's voice carried floated over across the short distance.

"Why are you looking into Adrien's mom?" she asked, looking at Marinette.

His heart stopped and his eyes whipped over to Marinette, only to see her meeting his gaze unflinchingly. Almost as surprised by the shy girl holding his gaze as by Alya's statement, Adrien quickly composed himself, hopefully wiping any surprise off his face. He was just as curious, if not more so, than Alya, but one look at Marinette's flushed face but innocent eyes convinced him to play along.

"She's helping me with something, Alya," he responded for Marinette.

Alya's head whipped around, spotting him and Nino for the first time. She narrowed her eyes, looking as if she were about to argue, but Adrien's calm answer and open expression stopped her.

"Well," she stated simply, sitting down next to Mari with the information spread out in front of them both, "if research is what you need, then I'm your girl. Our creative genius Mari can spin you conspiracy theories until next year and find the puzzle in any mess of facts, but for data collection and digging up dirt, that's all me." She grinned up at him. "What do you think, sunshine? Want another member working on Operation:Find Adela Agreste?" she asked with an understanding smile.

Moved beyond what he could even articulate, he nodded. He heard Nino whistle behind him.

"I'm no PI," he started, "but I'm really good at doing what Alya tells me to, so count me in."

Alya smirked, and Nino fist bumped her.

"Adrien," Marinette's quiet voice came from next to him, surprising him for he hadn't seen her move. "Can I talk to you over there for a second?" she asked, nodding to a quiet corner in the stacks.

He nodded his answer, and they moved out of earshot of the others.

"So," she began hesitantly,"I'm sure you're wondering why I was looking into this," she laughed nervously.

He shook his head and just said, "Ladybug."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Marinette froze.

"Wh-Wh-What?" she stuttered.

"Ladybug," he said again. "She must have asked you, she's the only one I've talked to about it."

"YES!" She said much too loudly. "Yes," she said again, quieter. "She asked me if I could help her because she knows we're, like, friends and stuff?"

"It's okay Marinette. I was just surprised. Erm... how much did she tell you?" he asked hesitantly.

"That you were looking into your mom's disappearance." she answered cautiously, knowing what he was really asking, but wanting to assure him that Ladybug had not revealed that he was Chat Noir to her. Except of course, she did, because Marinette _was_ Ladybug. She sighed inwardly. _I need to simplify my life_ , she noted to herself sardonically.

"So you and Ladybug are friends then?"

"Yeah, you could definitely say that," she snorted. Recovering, she hastily added, "We met when Nathanael was akumatised and everything, and sort of just stayed in touch."

"Well, thanks." Adrien lifted his hand and hesitantly touched her arm in an action of camaraderie. "I don't easily open up about this stuff, so I guess Ladybug is pushing me along, making sure my friends get the chance to support me. I really appreciate you helping with this," he finished earnestly.

"We're really happy to help, Adrien," she returned in kind.

They stared at each other for a long moment, before Marinette cleared her throat lightly, realizing this was probably the longest conversation she'd ever been able to manage with the blonde boy.

"So… how do you know Ladybug? I mean, she's pretty eager to help you so you must be close." She was selfishly interested in what he would say about her alter ego.

"I'd say so," he murmured, almost to himself. Then, after a moment of deliberating over his words carefully, said, "We met during an akuma attack, and she was the first person I told about what was happening with my mom."

She allowed herself a small smirk. It wasn't a lie, Marinette thought. They had met during an akuma attack-the first ever akuma attack-although she knew Adrien assumed she'd think of the Simon Says attack that was targeted at his father.

"Okay," she nodded thoughtfully, waiting for him to go on. When he didn't she just smiled and said, "Okay then, well I guess we should get back to the others."

Feeling bold she impulsively grabbed his hand and gently tugged him behind her back towards the table.

"Alright team," she announced, still holding Adrien's hand. "Let's find Mrs. Agreste"

Alya and Nino noted the linked duo, but wisely said nothing, although a 10 euro bill was discreetly pushed across the table in Alya's direction.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

"We need a game plan," announced Alya the next day at lunch.

Marinette and Adrien sleepily looked in her direction. Having spent the night battling twin akumas, the two were dead on their feet. Ironic really, because the villains' power was turning people into zombies. Unfortunately for the superhero pair, their night of the living dead had just carried into the morning of the living dead.

"Plan. Yes. Good." moaned Marinette, with her head laying on the table cushioned by her arm. Adrien smirked and poked one of her pigtails playfully, only to get swatted at by the half-asleep teenage girl. He smiled wider, puzzled but liking the sudden dynamic change between them, even though he didn't know what had caused it.

"Attention," Alya clapped in Marinette's direction, startling her out of her snooze. "What do we know so far?"

Marinette sat up and, in her best old-timey detective voice, stated. "Adela Agreste. Age: 39. Wife of Gabriel Agreste, international fashion designer and multi-million dollar business owner. Mother of Adrien Agreste, age 15, fashion model and student. Missing 14 months and 29 days. No leads." She finished softly, and threw a sympathetic smile in Adrien's direction. He put on a brave face, but was obviously still affected by the disappearance.

Alya looked at Adrien.

"That's all I know," he stated. "Oh, and this." He pulled the photo he'd taken from his father from his bag.

"What's this?" asked Alya, with Nino looking at the picture over her shoulder.

"I found it in my dad's safe two weeks ago."

"It's dated 3 weeks ago." Alya stated in astonishment,

"Yeah, it's-" he began but stopped. _It's what?_ He still had no idea why his father had that or what his father knew. His house had been icy to say the least, and he'd been patrolling the city like a hawk every night just to escape the blizzard inside the Agreste mansion.

"I don't know," he finished finally.

Alya paused, considering. "Here's what we're going to do. Nino and I are going to take this and find out as much as we can. Where it was taken, when, even who took it if possible. You two," she pointed to Adrien and the much more awake now Marinette, "are going to find out what you can from Mr. Agreste."

"But Alya-" Adrien started.

"Nope! Do it!" she cut him off, and with a flourish got up and hastened out the door, towing Nino behind her and winking at Marinette as she went.

"What-" he began looking over to see a blushing Marinette. "You okay?"

"Yup!" she squeaked. "Um, I guess we'll have a group project to do this afternoon."

"What? No we don't."

She looked at him pointedly. "Yes Adrien, we do. Your house at 5?" she asked

"Oh," he sighed, resigned to the fact that he'll actually have to talk to his father, but surprising himself to find that he was anxiously excited to spend an afternoon with Marinette. "5 is perfect."

Buzzing around the room Plagg looked on in amusement as his blonde charge rearranged the pillows on his bed for the hundredth time in nervousness. There had been hundreds of Chat Noirs, but teenagers never failed to amuse him. And disgust him. But mostly amuse him.

Taking a break from his usual chorus of "Give me cheese" and "Feed me", he hovered lower to pull on a piece of Adrien's hair.

"Calm down," he said bluntly. "I don't think she'll care if the green pillow is next to or in front of the orange pillow."

"She's a designer." Adrien replied, as if this explanation made sense.

"Of pillows?"

"No, of clothes."

"Calm down," Plagg repeated, in what he thought showed a saintly amount of patience. "You need to focus on something else."

"Yes," Adrien agreed eagerly, looking at the cat-like floating god.

"Good, go get me camembert." He could only resist for so long, and the opportunity was right there after all.

"Plagg-"

They were interrupted by a bell that signaled someone at the gate. Adrien swallowed, his mouth suddenly very dry, and wondered for the millionth time why he was so nervous. This was Marinette. _His friend Marinette_. And they had a mission, anyway. It wasn't like this was a date or anything.

Plagg zipped into his jacket pocket and Adrien tripped out of his room, speeding down the stairs a little too fast. Coming to an abrupt halt behind Natalie. His father's assistant was opening the door and spared a quick smirk over her shoulder at the boy as he tried to compose himself before she ushered the young lady into the lobby.

"Hey," clearing his throat, Adrien said again, "Hey, Marinette."

"Hey!" she quipped back, seemingly completely calm and not at all a mess like he felt. "It's very nice to officially meet you ma'am." She said politely to Natalie, who smiled and returned the sentiment.

Then, as if it suddenly caught her eye, Marinette ambled over to the corner, where some pictures of his father and his designs were displayed, as well as a few vintage pieces.

"Is that an original Coco Chanel sketch?!" she screeched. "Oh my goodness, and a Vionnet! Adrien," she turned, smacking his arm. "You never told me you had these!"

"It never came up?" he replied lamely, but smiling and enjoying her enjoyment as she chattered on about various collection by each designer, and their influences in her own designs. Her enthusiasm seemed to light up the entire foyer, bringing the sunshine into a home that had been in eternal winter for the last year. He didn't even notice that Natalie had left them alone and someone else had entered; he was so caught up in the Summertime of Marinette.

Gabriel, hearing the girlish squeals from outside of his office, made his way to the foyer of the house. Silently, he entered from the opposite corner and stopped dead in his tracks. Completely ignoring the exuberant brunette gushing over his fashion history collection, he looked at his son's face and was speechless. He hadn't see him smile like that in over a year, and didn't think he'd ever seen his face light up quite so bright before. Adrien was glowing.

He then turned his eyes to the girl his son was staring at with such a look, and couldn't help but smile. She was effervescent. Still in her awkward teenage years, she bore an innocent joy and beauty that reminded him instantly of his Adela when they'd met, not much older than these two were right now. He felt a sharp pain in his chest, but welcomed the memories nonetheless.

Adrien heard his intake of breath, and turned his head to see his father, with the most peculiar expression on his face. It looked bittersweet, but his father actually looked somewhat happy for the first time in a long time. Perplexed as to the dynamics of their current relationship, and saddened by the cold indifference that had suffused the house for over a year, Adrien smiled at his father regardless.

"Father," he said formally, as Marinette spun around to face Mr. Agreste. "Let me introduce Marinette Dupain-Cheng, a friend from school."

Mr. Agreste smiled what appeared to be an actually genuine smile in Marinette's direction. Adrien was slightly shocked, because the two had met before and Gabriel had not had this reaction to Marinette. Also, his father tended to have a general lack of fondness for Adrien's school friends, at least if his reception of Nino was anything to go off of. Confusing as it was, Adrien was still grateful for his father's sudden hospitality.

"Marinette, it's a pleasure to meet a fellow fashion lover." Gabriel said warmly, taking her hand in his for a moment.

Marinette blushed at officially meeting the famous Gabriel Agreste, and a version of him so different from his public persona or from what Adrien had told her.

"Marinette's a designer," Adrien announced proudly.

"Oh, right! I remember that fine hat you made," Gabriel intoned lightly.

"Amateaur, really." she admitted quickly.

"For now," Adrien replied, looking at her fondly.

"I'd be happy to look at you designs sometime, my dear." Gabriel continued.

"Really?" Marinette squeaked. "That would be-that'd be amazing, sir."

"Why don't you two come into my office? You can see some of the new designs for next season."

"Oh my gosh, yes! I mean, if that's okay Adrien," she amended, knowing how strained the current relationship between father and son was and not wanting to push Adrien too far.

"Of course," Adrien said, unable to say no to her excitement. _Besides,_ he thought, _this seems as good a time as any to try and squeeze some information out of Father._

He looked at Marinette and she nodded, having a similar thought, but also feeling unbelievably lucky that she could glimpse the new Agreste designs while still spending time and helping her crush/partner.

"Great!" she smiled, grabbed Adrien's hand and followed Gabriel practically bouncing, much to the amusement of Mr. Agreste.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Once in the office, Gabriel made a bee-line towards his desk, but Marinette stopped dead in front of the large portrait of Adela.

"Wow," she gasped. She had seen it before, but in the heat of the moment trying to protect the Agreste men, she hadn't really stopped to appreciate the magnificence of the painting.

Gabriel looked up and froze for a moment, before slowly making his way over to the two teenagers. Moving at a glacial pace, he approached the painting as if it might disappear if he moved too quickly.

"Yes, my Adela," he whispered adoringly, and Marinette caught the look of pain on his face. _Of loss or guilt?_ , she wondered.

"It's beautiful," Marinette said softly.

"Yes, she is," Gabriel responded in a haze.

"I'm very sorry for your loss."

"She's not dead yet, not if I can help it," he said still staring at the portrait. Recovering himself, he amended, "What I mean to say is, we haven't lost hope."

Adrien could see the veil slipping back down over his father's face and decided it was now or never.

"Where's mom, Papa?"

Gabriel froze, and looked to Adrien with tender eyes. He reached up and cupped his child's cheek in his hand. He opened his mouth to respond when he glanced again ath Adela's portrait. Closing his eyes, Gabriel sighed, fisting his hands by his side and coming to a decision. When his eyes opened, the tenderness was gone, and the man who had been with them a second ago completely transformed into the Gabriel Agreste of the past year.

"Excuse me," Gabriel said formally, walking out the door and towards the spiral staircase that led up into the attic.

Marinette stood in silence, waiting for Adrien to digest whatever had just passed between father and son. He turned to her with a forlorn look on his face.

"So that was my father," he told her dejectedly. She reached over and grabbed his hand. "That's about all we're going to get out of him."

Marinette hummed in thought and glanced over at the fashion mogul's desk, still a disarray of papers and designs. She dropped Adrien's hand and sauntered over to start rifling through the mess.

"What are you doing?" Adrien called, a note of panic in his voice as his eyes darted back and forth between Marinette and the door his father had just walked out of.

"You wanted answers? Well, let's find them. Keep a look out, you can distract anyone if they come."

"Always the distraction…" she heard him murmur to himself and she smirked. _Oh kitty, it's because you're so distracting._

Pulling herself away from that dangerous train of thought, she turned her attention back to the task at hand. Evidence. There had to be something here. She rifled through design after design. Couture, everyday wear, wedding dresses, hats, shoes. Willing herself with all her willpower to stay on task, she was starting to lose hope of finding anything of relevance when sticking out from underneath a large volume of past Agreste collections, she spotted a crumpled envelope with handwriting in crude thick marker on it. Gently disengaging it from it's oversized paperweight, she pried the envelope out and extracted its contents. She read the first few lines and gasped.

Adrien stared out the door, leaning his back on the frame with a look of, what he hoped was, nonchalance in case Natalie walked by or his father returned. His foot tapping nervously, he spared a glance over at Marinette. Her brow was crumpled in concentration, forming that cute little line between her eyebrows. _So cute_ , he thought. Suddenly he had a vision of his Lady, with the same expression on her face, and he tore his eyes away from Marinette. _Where did that come from?_ He began to wrack his brain for explanations, but even he couldn't deny the truth anymore, the answer was obvious, sitting right beneath his nose this entire time.

He had feelings for Marinette. That's why her expression reminded him of Ladybug. He'd fallen for both of them. While it felt dishonest, for he still loved Ladybug, he couldn't deny that this girl in front of him enchanted him in a way only his Lady had ever done before. _Actually, they're similar in a lot of other ways too…_

He was pulled from this train of thought by a gasp. Darting over to Marinette's side he asked, "What?What is it?"

She looked over at him and handed him a crumpled piece of paper with block lettering on it.

 **If you want to see your wife again in one piece, I suggest you start taking my demands more seriously. The zombies were a nice surprise, but when I command you to cause mass panic in this city, that doesn't mean fluffy villains that give you a makeover or cause a few rain showers.**

 **Do not disappoint me again, or precious Adela will be disappointed in the hope to ever see another daybreak. She always did adore those sunsets in the valley; it'd be such a shame if I had to start sending you pieces of...motivation.**

 **Give my regards to your boy.**

 **-Le faiseur de rois**

 _Oh my god,_ Adrien thought in shock, _my mom is alive._


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

 _Oh my god,_ Marinette thought, _his dad is Hawkmoth._

One look at Adrien though, and she knew he hadn't come to that realization yet. She watched his face tumble through emotions. Elation that his mom was alive. Fear that she was apparently being held hostage. Anger that his father hadn't told him. Confusion as to why this man was talking about the recent akuma attacks with his father. Worry over the evident threat against his life the last line was meant as. And finally, shock as he put it all together.

"Mari," he looked over at her, but clearly was at a loss for words. "My father-He's- He is-"

"I know, Adrien," she cut him off softly.

"I need to leave. I can't be in here." He dropped the letter and started to walk out of the room, not checking to see that she was following.

Marinette picked up the letter, taking a quick photo with her phone, and then slippped it back into the envelope and under the book where she had found it. Rushing out of the room she almost ran into Adrien's back. He had made it to the front door but seemed at a loss as to what to do next.

"I don't know where to go," he stated simple.

She linked her arm with his and pushed open the door.

"I have an idea, and lucky for you, they have chocolate croissants, the cure to any issue, I promise."

Adrien allowed himself to be directed through Paris by Marinette, not really caring where they went, but drawing comfort from her proximity. She turned the corner and he found himself in front of her parent's bakery. He hesitated and Marinette turned to look at him expectantly.

"I don't know," he began. He wasn't in the best mood, and didn't want to seem rude to Marinette's parents. She just rolled her eyes and pulled him through the back door into the kitchen.

"What do you do when you're stressed? When you need to just let go of everything?" She asked knowingly.

 _Transform into a leather-clad cat-like creature with glowing green eyes and propel myself with a metal stick across the rooftops of Paris,_ he thought sarcastically but obviously didn't say it out loud. She smirked as if she almost could hear his thoughts. Instead of responding, he just shrugged.

"Well, I do this," she dumped a large sack of flour in front of him and spun around the kitchen pulling various ingredients from their hiding places like a perfectly executed ballet. She dropped an apron around his neck and began to tie her own on.

"Alright, pretty boy. Let's see if you can handle getting your hands dirty." She raised her eyebrow in an obvious challenge and he couldn't suppress the responding smile.

"Put me to work, boss."

"That's what I like to hear."

They then spent the next three hours measuring, mixing and kneading various types and flavors of the bread, and by the end, Adrien was gratefully exhausted. The careful measuring and instructions from Marinette kept him blessedly distracted from his current predicament, and flying puffs of flour and random balls of dough thrown at each other had his abdominal muscles sore from laughing so hard.

Finally, when all that was left to do was wait for the dough to rise, the duo sank to the floor, resting against the counter, exhausted and sufficiently covered in flour and bits of butter. Adrien rested his head against Marinette's shoulder without thought and almost instinctively, she began running her fingers through his hair. She stopped almost as soon as she started, but it was too late. The inkling that had been hovering just out of reach of Adrien's subconscious for the last week, suddenly came to the forefront of his mind.

He didn't react outwardly, but his mind was whirling in a flurry of motion.

 _Could it be?_

Marinette froze. _Why did I do that?!_ She thought frantically, and laid her arm around Adrien's shoulders instead in what she hoped seemed a friendly gesture.

For her, this was her partner and friend of more than a year, but for Adrien, she was just a shy girl, with whom he only just recently had a coherent conversation with. Marinette had forgotten herself. Working in the kitchen and bantering with him felt so natural, so right. He was her Chat, laughing at her and making horrible bread puns as they baked side by side, the perfect team as always.

"What do you _knead_ next?" He had asked innocently.

"110 grams of butter," she responded, distractedly reading her father's sprawling handwriting on the recipe. "Thanks," she added when he handed it to her.

"It's the _yeast_ I could do."

She stopped and looked up at his open face, before bursting into giggles. "Seriously? That's the best you can come up with?"

He shrugged and smiled good naturedly, until she threw a handful of flour at him, powdering his already light hair. He gaped.

"You're _toast_!" he yelled and shook his head like the cat he was, spraying a shower of flour in her direction and making her squeal.

"Are you done yet, pun-master?"

"What can I say, I'm on a _roll_." He winked.

No wonder she fell into an easy rhythm and familiar habits with him. He was _so_ her Kitty. How had she never noticed before?

She was startled from her thoughts by a loud crash from somewhere off in the distance. Her phone buzzed almost a second later. It was Alya confirming her suspicions: Akuma attack. She looked over at Adrien, only to see that he had seen the text as well, and both of them were on their feet. Pausing to look at each other, Marinette spoke first.

"Uh, I should call Alya," she laughed nervously, "make sure she doesn't go running into the battlefield."

"Right," Adrien responded, looking at her peculiarly. "I should go anyway." He made no move towards the door.

Marinette waited another few precious seconds, wondering why he wasn't making a hasty retreat. For all he knew Ladybug was out there fighting alone.

"Ohhkay," she drew out, "I really should call Alya, so feel free to use the back door if you want." She impulsively gave him a quick hug and then darted up the stairs to her room. Quickly hopping out onto her balcony, she released Tikki from her purse.

"Getting a little cosy there with your boyfriend." She teased, smirking at the blushing teen.

"Tikki," she started to whine, but her kwami cut her off.

"I'm just teasing, Marinette. We should go." Marinette nodded.

"Tikki, spots on!"

Below, in the alleyway adjacent to her balcony, Adrien stared up, his suspicions confirmed. He transformed and dashed towards the battle scene, a smile lighting up his face.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Chat bounded into the plaza, smile bright on his face, and Ladybug secretly hoped that she was the source. Well, that Marinette-her was the source, not Ladybug-her. _Again, complicated._

"Hello, M'Lady," Chat practically skipped over to her, impulsively kissing her cheek. She pushed him away; half-heartedly because she was silently thrilled inside.

"What's gotten into you, Kitty?" She prayed the blush rising to her cheeks was not too obvious under her mask.

"Just happy to see you," Chat continued to smile at her. She smiled softly at him but was conflicted inwardly as she realized he was acting this way towards _Ladybug-_ her. She had started to think that maybe he was starting to return her feelings as Marinette, but here he was flirting with Ladybug. Had she completely misread the last few days? This afternoon?

A crash sounded again, and the young girl who had been akumatised walked towards them, creating havoc in her wake. _Some kind of earthquake power?_ she wondered and turned to Chat to share her suspicions when his expression brought her up short and reminded her of the letter they had discovered that afternoon. Looking back at the victim, she come to a realization. _Adrien's dad is causing all this? No_ , she corrected herself quickly, _Hawkmoth is being blackmailed into this._

She reached out and grabbed Chat's hand, squeezing tightly.

"Let's do this."

He squeezed back, and still liked they ran forward into battle.

Once the akuma had been cleansed and the victim-who with supreme originality had called herself "Earth Shaker"-was returned to her normal self, Chat and Ladybug did their usual post-battle routine.

"Pound it!" they fist-bumped.

Just as she turned to swing away, Chat called her.

"Mar-M'Lady," he quickly covered for himself. She looked at him expectantly, showing no signs of noticing his slip. "Erm, thanks. For telling Marinette, that is." he carefully studied her face for a reaction, but got nothing.

"Of course, mon chaton." She replied with a smile. "I hope it's been helpful. Having someone there. To talk to." She hesitated, wanting to know how he felt about Marinette, but not wanting to push.

"She's been great. She's amazing," he whispered, almost to himself, and her heart skipped a beat. He looked at her, and for a moment, she felt her mask disappear.

Then her earrings beeped in warning, and she looked away first.

"Gotta fly!" she was suddenly eager to escape his penetrating gaze. "See you for patrol tonight!" She swung her yoyo off into the distance and disappeared before his very eyes.

Ladybug was screaming internally. She played it cool, and mentally gave herself a pat on the back for her performance, but honestly didn't know how much longer she could be close to Adrien, knowing both his identities, but still hiding her own secret. She thought she was getting closer to telling him, the closer they became as Adrien and Marinette, but then Chat's flirtation with Ladybug today threw her off. But then again, when she asked him about Marinette, he responded with so much emotion. She was smiling just thinking about it.

She dropped onto her balcony and released her transformation. Tikki floated in front of her face, a secretive smile on the tiny red goddess' face.

"Chat was _pawfully_ friendly today," she said with a smirk.

"Oh god, not you too," she groaned, dropping onto her bed with a flop and absentmindedly cuddling the oversized cat pillow.

"I'm just teasing," she squeaked and flew over to settle on the bed in front of Marinette's face.

"Are you going to tell him?"

"I think I have to. I feel like I'm living a torn life," she laughed without humor. "I thought I almost heard him call me Marinette today. I would have responded, too!"

Tikki remained silent. She'd heard Chat start to say Marinette as well. Perhaps she'd overestimated the boy's obliviousness. She was pretty sure he'd figured it out but was waiting for Marinette to reveal her identity willingly.

"Do you think maybe he knows? You have been spending an awful amount of time together recently. Maybe he's figured it out now that he knows you better."

Marinette sat up in a panic, eyes wide as she looked over at Tikki.

"Or maybe he doesn't!" Tikki added hastily, trying to calm the girl. "Would it really be the worst thing though?"

"No," Marinette admitted. "It's just," she paused, hesitant to admit it out loud. "I'm in love with him, Tikki." She stated finally, and with more certainty than she'd expected from herself. Feeling freed by admitting it to someone else, she continued. "I'm in love with Adrien and I'm in love with Chat. I love all of him. I think I pushed Chat off for so long only because Adrien existed and I was already so infatuated with him, but knowing that he's Chat too...It makes it so much more real. He isn't just the cute boy with somewhat sad eyes that always makes me smile and stutter over my words, but the man I trust with my life, day in and day out in battle. He's my best friend and partner, who tells horrible puns, that I secretly love, at the most inappropriate of moments, and he has my back no matter what, just as much as I have his. He's my perfect balance."

Marinette stopped, startled by her own admission. She looked at Tikki and saw tears in the kwami's eyes.

"Oh Marinette, you have to tell him."

"But what if it's not me? What if it's just Ladybug he feels that way for?"

"He doesn't," Tikki said with so much conviction, Marinette's insecurities almost vanished. "But if he does, then at least you'll know," she finished softly.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Marinette was not calm. That statement basically summed up her life so far, but it especially applied today. She had made her decision, but that didn't mean she wasn't freaking out every second of the 3 hours between leaving Chat after the attack and their patrol that night. As it was, she had left 30 minutes earlier than she had needed to, and was now pacing on the rooftop where they usually met. Tikki had tried to give her a pep talk before they left, but even her kwami's neverending support and chipper outlook did nothing to calm the racing of Marinette's heart.

She was going to tell him.

She just had no idea how she was going to do it. No matter how many times she had this conversation with herself in her head, it never went well. Sometimes he was angry. Usually he was disappointed. Then. sometimes he was friendly. J _ust_ friendly. Those were almost the worst.

She was tugging on her pigtails a bit too hard when he showed up, and she felt all the blood leave her face. _It's now or never._

Chat had spent the last hours in what could only be described as bliss. Marinette was his Lady. He fell in love with her twice. He felt like laughing. He felt like singing. She wasn't ready yet to tell him, he could live with that. Patrols may be a bit harder. He could never really hide his true feelings from her, but this was what his Lady wanted, and he was going to try his hardest to honor her wishes. His life was a mess, but she was perfect, and they would be together. His partner. His friend. His Lady. His Marinette.

Three hours later he shows up to patrol with a brilliant smile plastered on his face. He spots Ladybug in a very different state. Pacing and tugging restlessly on her pigtails, he approaches her cautiously, but still manages to make her jump.

"Chat," she exclaims, delicately placing a hand over her heart.

"Sorry, Bugaboo. Didn't mean to startle you, but you seemed a bit in your own world."

She paused, seeming to consider him. Coming to a decision, she steps towards him.

"I need to tell you something."

"Okay…"

"I promised you I'd tell you who I am."

Chat's heart began to race. Was she really going to…?

"I told you we know each other. Well, that's true. We-we go to school together, " she stuttered, beginning to rush her words. "And-And we're friends. I mean, I think we're friends. I mean, you're my friend-"

Chat stepped up, grabbing her hand with his left, and cupping her cheek with his right.

"M'Lady," he whispered with affection. "You don't have to do this if you're not ready."

"No, I am," she said with more conviction than she felt. "It's just…"

"What?"

"Promise not to be too disappointed?"

He stood, bewildered by the creature in front of him. "I could never be," he said fervently, his voice hoarse with emotion.

"Okay," she replied, closing her eyes. "Tikki, spots off."

In a flash of red, her transformation released, just as Chat released his own. Both of them stood, closed eyes the final barrier between their true selves.

She stood, motionless, and eyes closed, yet seeing in vivid color. She could hear the cars humming on the slightly damp Parisian streets; the leaves rustling in the trees that paralleled to the building; a woman's laugh echoing up to where they stood; the overwhelming beating of her own heart. She could not, however, hear a single thing from the one source she craved the most. She could hear absolutely no reaction from Adrien.

Just when she felt it start to become too much, and the tears started to gather on her face, he dropped her hand and placed it on her other cheek, cradling her head as if it were the most fragile thing in the world, and tilted his forehead down to rest it on hers. She heard the ghost of a laugh and felt the vibration roll gently through his body. Tentatively, she opened one eye, and was blinded by his exuberance.

"My silly, silly Bugaboo," he whispered to her, sliding his hands down her neck and over her shoulders, coming to rest on her waist. "Why in the world would I be disappointed?" His smile got impossible brighter, and she lifted a hand to his cheek in awe.

"Pure light…" she murmured, and he looked at her quizzically, but his smile became softer as he turned his head and placed a kiss in the center of her palm. She closed her hand into a fist, as if to capture it forever.

"So, good surprise?"

"The _best_ surprise," he exclaimed, picking her up by the waist and spinning her in a circle.

"Thank you," he said earnestly as he placed her back on the rooftop. "For trusting me."

"Trusting you was easy. Trusting myself was the hard part."

"Still," he paused. "Could I-um-May I-kiss you?" he asked haltingly. Gone was all the Chat Noir flirtation and confidence; they were both laid bare to each other.

She giggled, grabbed his jacket bringing him down to her height, and finally lived out her dream of kissing Adrien Agreste. Except this was so much better, because he was _her_ Chat Noir too. Just as she pulled back, she felt Tikki burrow under one of her pigtails. Opening her mouth to introduce her to Adrien, she saw Tikki come to rest on top of Adrien's head. _Then what-_

"Ah!" she screamed as whatever it was poked her ear, shaking her head to dislodge what she assumed was a large bug, and falling down in her graceful Marinette way.

"Plagg!" Adrien groaned, covering face with his hands. "Nice first impression."

"Yours is squirmy, Tikki." Plagg commented blithely.

"Maybe introduce yourself before invading someone's personal space. I swear, Plagg, 2000 years old and still…" The two trailed off into what she only assumed was a centuries old argument, and Adrien offered her a hand up.

"Thanks."

"Sorry about Plagg. I'd say he isn't always like this, but he is."

"No worries, I was just startled." Plagg, giving up on arguing with Tikki, zoomed back into view.

"Hello, miss, my name is Plagg. God of destruction and whatnot." He said rather formally, on his best behavior and giving Tikki a mock salute.

Marinette got a good look at him for the first time, and practically cooed. She was nothing if not a cat-lover-except maybe a _Chat_ -lover.

"Oh my goodness! Look at your precious little ears!"

"Now wait a minute. I am _the god_ of destruction, not some cute, fluffy kitty cat-" he suddenly came up short and started purring. Marinette had reached up and was scratching his ears as he leaned into her hand.

"Oh. my. god." Adrien chortled behind his hand and a snickering Tikki came to rest upon his head once more.

"Good kitty," Marinette praised, and Plagg purred louder.

He looked at Adrien. "Can we keep her?"

"Absolutely," he responded without hesitation, and smiled wider as the blush spread across Marinette's cheeks while Tikki looked on with a contented smile.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

The next morning, Adrien was sitting patiently waiting on the steps to the college for the ever-late Marinette to arrive when Alya and Nino found him. Alya furrowed her brow, confused as to what Adrien was doing hanging around outside, but they sat down next to him nonetheless and started chatting about the previous night's homework, waiting to talk about their special project until their quartet was complete.

 _Where are you, girl?_ Alya thought, looking at her watch. If Marinette was late to class for a third time that week, Alya would run out of reasonably believable excuses to tell their teacher for her.

Just as she looked up, the brunette spun around the corner. Giving her a mock-disapproving look, Marinette responded in kind with a roll of her eyes.

"I'm two minutes early!" she exclaimed to Alya in exasperation.

Alya gave a small chuckle, and noticed out of the corner of her eye that Adrien was suddenly sitting straight up, his eyes fixed intensely on Marinette. He rose to his feet quickly to start walking over to her. When he got in front of her though, he seemed at a loss of what to do.

"Um, hi," he said, giving her an awkward pat on the shoulder.

Marinette, however, was in rare form, and Alya looked on proudly like a crooning mother as Marinette gave Adrien a coy smile, leaning over to kiss him softly on the cheek.

"Hi," she responded, before turning to Alya, grabbing her best friend's hand and pulling her towards the door. "See ya in there, guys!"

Alya dutifully followed, but as soon as they were out of sight, she took her hand from Mari's and fake-punched her in the arm.

"Oh. . Mari! You heartbreaker!" she exclaimed, in awe of her friend's sudden confidence with her crush, and slightly startled by the hardness of the bicep she just punched. _When did Marinette become a bodybuilder?_ She thought.

Marinette just shrugged, trying but failing to conceal her smile. "We...bonded yesterday," she revealed, cryptically.

"You bonded, or your lips bonded?" Alya muttered jokingly, but the sudden blush that erupted across Marinette's face stopped her short.

"OH MY GOD! TELL ME EVERYTHING."

Marinette's blush got deeper, but sighed in visible relief when the warning bell sounded. She started to hurry in the direction of the classroom, Alya following closely behind.

"We are not finished, young lady!" she called after her, but was honestly thrilled for her best friend.

Adrien stood in shock outside the college until Nino walked over, waving a hand in front of his face.

"Hellllooo? Earth to Agreste? Anyone home?"

Adrien swatted at him and tried to compose himself. He was more awkward about this than he thought he'd be. Last night was amazing. Marinette was his Lady, and everything was open between them. No secrets to hide, no act to put on, but he still wasn't sure how to translate that easy relationship when they were alone to the one the world would see. How to explain his connection to this girl, when as far as anyone else knew, they were mere acquaintances until a few days ago? In fact, the beginning of this very week, he had been convinced that she still hated him from the Chloé incident on his first day.

He looked over through the door of the college and could just see Alya interrogating Marinette off in the corner. He didn't know how long he stared, but he felt Nino hovering over his shoulder, looking in the same direction.

"Man, you've got it bad." Nino stated simply.

Adrien didn't bother denying it, grateful as he was for his friend's easy understanding. He turned his head to look at Nino, and noticed his gaze was fixated no less intensely on a certain glasses-clad auburn.

"You're one to talk," he smirked, and Nino lightly shoved his shoulder and started walking into school. _He didn't deny it though_ , Adrien smirked and followed him up the stairs.

"Alright, kids. Dish." Alya, plopped down on the grass in the park across from the college. They had decided to meet during their lunch break to discuss their secret project, but Marinette could tell her best friend had more than just Adela's cold case on her investigative agenda. She had managed to dodge Alya's questions and teasing in between classes, but 2 hours of free time seemed like a sisyphean task, even to this teenage superhero.

To be honest, one of the reasons she had so doggedly avoided engaging Alya was her own confusion over the situation. They had kissed. _More than once,_ she thought with a smile, remembering the night before. The two of them, getting over the initial shock, talked for hours about how oblivious they both were, and about how there were many near-misses where they almost accidentally revealed their identities to each other. It had been peaceful and effortless, and she saw Adrien relax more and more as the night went on. She hoped it gave him a reprieve, if only for a few hours, from all that she knew weighed heavily on his shoulders.

Despite everything though, Marinette was still uncertain. What were they? Friends? Partners? Something more? They hadn't discussed it. Things had seemed obvious the night before, but his hesitation this morning made her think twice. _Had last night been a fluke caused by the shock of her reveal, or the start of something real?_

She dropped her head into her hands. When her worries started to sound like prose, she was starting to overthink things. She was exhausting herself with her own thoughts. She had made the move this morning, making herself and her position very clear. For the first time, the ball was very squarely in Adrien's court.

Looking back up to a waiting Alya, Marinette took control of the conversation.

"What did you and Nino find out about the picture?"

Alya gave her a look of annoyance for once again avoiding the real question, but Marinette just stared back.

"Fine, keep your secrets. But don't think for one second I'm not interrogating lover-boy the second he gets here," she pointed a finger and wiggled it in Marinette's direction. "And speak of the devil..." She trailed off and waved over Nino and Adrien, who were just at the entrance to the greenspace.

"Pop a squat, guys. We're just about to debrief."

They both sat, Adrien directly next to Marinette so their knees were firmly touching, she noted with pleasure. _Maybe not a fluke afterall,_ she thought with a smile.

"Did you find something out about the picture?" Adrien asked, and she wondered if he wasn't deploying some diversion tactics of his own.

"Oh did we ever. Nino?" As if awaiting this, Nino pulled out his laptop and a post-it laden notebook.

"My god, Alya. A picture's worth a thousand words, but maybe not an entire doctoral dissertation!" Marinette gasped in amazement, and a bit in horror, at the amount of information Alya was going to spew at them. Forget two hours, it would take them two days to go through this.

"That is why, my lovelies, our music man over there has put together a brief presentation for your enjoyment to summarize our findings." Nino nodded, but was studiously setting something up on his computer.

Adrien leaned over to her and whispered, "Why do I feel like I just showed up to class in my underwear?" She giggled, but she completely understood. She suddenly felt very underprepared, but they had other things going on last night. She blushed again thinking about it, and Adrien smiled softly at her, guessing the direction of her thoughts. He took her hand in his, discreetly hidden by their touching knees.

Alya cleared her throat, breaking them out of their shared little world, and directed their attention to the screen of Nino's computer. It showed the picture of Adela that Adrien had memorized by this point, but on it were several red circles and arrows pointing out various aspects of the background with numbers attached to each one.

For the next hour, Alya painstakingly went through each aspect of the image and what it indicated about Adela's surroundings, treatment and possibly where she might be being held.

"So, in conclusion," Alya finally finished in her most polished news reporter voice, "We've narrowed down Adela's location to somewhere in the southern _arrondissements_ , but most likely within a half a kilometer from the Seine, and she's definitely somewhere above ground. I'm betting on somewhere in the 15th or 7th, because of the time of day the picture was taken and the angle of the light through the windows, but that's not definite."

"We also think we figured out where the photo was developed," added Nino.

"Wait, what?" Marinette interrupted. "Like, film developed?"

"Yeah," Nino continued, much more animated than he had been throughout Alya's spiel. "The quality looked weird to me, definitely not digital, but then there's all sorts of crazy filters out there that could maybe create that effect. But then there was the date in the corner too. Digital cameras have that option, but most people don't turn it on. So I had my cousin run an analysis on it for me. He's in uni for filmmaking and photography. He said the camera is definitely at least 30 years old, and basically it some special kind of film that had this grain pattern-whatever that means. Long story short, only 6 places in the city still develop this kind of film. Two are in the 7th arrondissement, so I'd say we start there."

Marinette just sat, mouth gaping, staring at Nino.

"Dude," Adrien exclaimed, raising his hand for a fist bump.

"Why didn't you start with that!" she practically shouted, while Alya just looked on smugly and shrugged.

"Okay, okay, okay. Any leads from the ever-loquacious Gabriel Agreste."

A frown immediately marred Adrien's face as he remembered the strange encounter with his father the day before. Marinette gave his hand a squeeze and answered for them.

"I know he's technically still a suspect in the police reports, but we found evidence to the contrary. And honestly, if you guys had seen him yesterday...there's no way. He obviously really loves Adela, and...we think he's being blackmailed." She trailed off, looking to Adrien to continue.

He looked at her briefly, and then turned to Nino and Alya.

"My father is Hawkmoth."


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

"Your-your dad-your father-Gabriel Agreste-," Marinette had never seen Alya at such a loss for words.

"Wait, wait, wait." She began to recover herself. Holding out her hand, "Proof," she demanded, snapping her fingers when Adrien hesitated.

"Oh shit, I didn't-"

"I've got it," Marinette pulled out her phone and scrolled to the picture she had taken of the note the day before. Alya took a brief look, before handing the phone to Nino, so he could enlarge it on the computer.

For ten minutes, there was complete silence. Alya and Nino read and re-read the note, and then without a word, Alya grabbed the laptop and her notebook and began furiously typing on her keyboard and scribbling notes.

Every few minutes she would murmur random words or phrases like "male" , "private education", "20 to 50", "Rhone valley?", "Childhood friend?".

Finally, she seemed to remember that the rest of them existed, and looked up from her research.

"Where did your parents grow up, Adrien?"

"Outside Montpellier."

"Hmm...I guess it's close enough to the Rhone Valley to make sense."

"My grandfather had a Villa there," Adrien remembered suddenly.

"What?" Alya was staring at Adrien again.

"Yeah, about 40 minutes away from Avignon I think? I went there once when I was young, before it was sold. A family friend or something bought it. But, yeah. My mom's aunt was the caretaker, so she would be there and my dad and his friend would go there with their parents during the summer. My parents met and got married at the Villa..." he trailed off in thought.

"Why, Alya?" Marinette asked softly, trying not to startle Adrien out of his reverie.

"The handwriting is male, and in cursive, so he probably had a private education or tutor. He talks about Adela and to Gabriel in a really familiar way, so I think this "faiseur de rois" knows them. And he mentions "the valley", so I'm assuming he means the Rhone valley. What Adrien says fits that theory." She paused. "Also, he must've known that Gabriel was a miraculous holder. I don't know how it works exactly, but I doubt he gave Gabriel the miraculous only to make him use it, so Gabriel probably had it before. If that's true, then this man was most likely someone that Gabriel trusted enough to tell that secret."

It all made complete sense. Adrien and Marinette had been too wrapped up in their own revelations lately to put it together, but Alya was right. This was personal. Looking at each other, they knew something Alya didn't. The miraculous chose you, in a way. You had to be worthy of it. Whoever "Le faiseur de rois" was, he definitely was not worthy of the miraculous, so that meant Gabriel was and had been chosen previously. _Maybe I'm more like my father than I thought,_ Adrien thought and found it surprisingly comforting.

"We need to find men that were friends of you father's growing up. Adrien, do you have any ideas who it might be?" Alya inquired.

"I'm sure we have a few photo albums from when my parents were young," Adrien shrugged, "other than that, my father doesn't really seem to have many friends. At least, none that I remember meeting."

"So, another field trip to the Agreste mansion?" Nino piped in.

"It's not a mansion," Adrien protested.

They all just looked at him.

"Okay, yeah off to the mansion," Adrien amended.

Later that day, the four friends sauntered down the paseo along the Seine, towards the Agreste's humble residence. Nino was beat-boxing to himself and Marinette was telling Alya about her newest design. He tried to pay attention, but some part of him knew this was his friends' way to give him distraction, but also allowing him some space to think if he needed it.

His mind hadn't stopped spinning since this afternoon when Alya put it all together. Who was this guy? More importantly, what was his end goal? And would his mother be important enough for him to keep her around until he got there?

Distractedly, he opened the gate and ushered his friends through the door and up the stairs towards his room, sparing a second to wave to Natalie as they passed. He pulled out a large box out of the corner of his room, filled with photo albums his mom had made him of his childhood.

Casually flipping through them, Alya made a disatisfied face, clearly not finding what she was looking for. Meanwhile, Nino and Marinette had found the book of his baby pictures and were cooing and laughing over the album.

"Look at his chubby little baby cheeks!" Marinette squealed.

"So cute. What happened, man?" Nino added with a chuckle. Adrien laughed lightly at the two, but turned his attention back to Alya.

"I need stuff of your parents, Adrien." She stated. "Do you have childhood pictures of them? Or even a wedding album?" she thought suddenly. "Maybe he was in their wedding!"

"I don't know…"

"I saw a bunch of albums and binders in his office the other day," Marinette offered helpfully. "Maybe it's in there?"

"Worth a shot. He's at the studio today so we should be in the clear. Oh wait," he face-palmed. "Natalie."

"Leave that to me," Nino chuckled. "I'm the master of annoying distractions."

Before anyone could say a word to the contrary, he darted out of the room. To do what, Adrien didn't even want to know, but when they heard a loud crash from below, and the subsequent scuttle of heels as Natalie ran to investigate, the remaining three ran out of the room and towards the office. Once inside, Adrien shut the door quietly as Alya and Marinette moved towards the bookcase on the back wall. They started going through binder after binder, but Adrien had other ideas.

He walked around his father's minimalistic desk, much more organized than the day before, and towards the large portrait on the wall. Swinging it open, he revealed the safe where he had found the initial picture of his mother that started this whole investigation. He opened his jacket slightly, and with one look at Plagg, the small god zipped out and into the safe, thankfully in silence, and opened it from the inside.

Suddenly, Marinette appeared over his shoulder.

"Jesus," he cursed, holding a hand to his heart and darting an eye at a still very visible Plagg.

"Relax, kitty. It's just me. Hi, Plagg," she added, giving him a quick ear scratch.

"Plagg?" Alya asked walking around the desk towards him, as Plagg zipped back into hiding.

"Erm…" Adrien floundered.

"Inside joke," Marinette covered effortlessly.

"This is where you found the first picture?" Alya asked, thankfully moving on.

"Yeah."

"Hmm.." Alya moved around him, and she and Marinette carefully started sorting through the contents, meticulously putting everything back in it's exact place.

"This is pretty," Alya remarked, picking up what seemed to be a peacock broach.

"Shoot," she whispered as it slipped from her fingers. Marinette, without question reached to catch it, just as Tikki appeared out of her purse and shouted, "No!" just as Marinette's fingers made contact with the broach.

Instantly, Tikki was sucked into Marinette's miraculous earrings and a bright flash of red shone through the room as she transformed into Ladybug.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Marinette squeaked in surprise, and her hands flew to cover herself, as if that would somehow stop Alya from noticing that her best friend had just become half of Paris' favorite crime-fighting duo.

Adrien, for his part, was absolutely no help, and just stood and stared open-mouthed at her. It was the first time he had seen her transform in broad daylight and he thought it was beautiful to behold, but now was not the time for such fixations. Seeming to come out of his shock-induced paralysis, he jumped in front of Marinette to cover her from Alya, who was still staring at her with a blank look on her face.

Blinking in their direction, Alya began to stutter exclamations before finally settling on, "Oh. My. God."

Marinette sighed, her head lolling forward to rest between Adrien's shoulder blades. Adrien had taken a decidedly defensive position, which she found adorable though completely useless. One hand reached back to rest on her waist while the other was thrown to the side, as if he were bracing them for an oncoming onslaught. Which was appropriate, except the onslaught was not going to be the physical kind. Alya could make her verbal onslaught just as jarring though, so maybe Adrien had the right idea.

Marinette peaked around Adrien to get a better look at Alya's face, only to see her grinning widely

"Yeah, so I guess the cat's out of the bag," she laughed nervously, carefully watching Alya.

"Not yet I'm not," Adrien muttered behind her and she swatted at him without looking

"Ladybug! Don't harm the citizens of Paris!" _He seems to have recovered himself,_ Marinette thought wryly. _Great timing, partner._ A flash of hurt in Alya's eyes brought her up from her thoughts.

"Wait," she said in a small voice, looking at Adrien. "You're not surprised."

It wasn't a question. She stated it like it was a fact. _Damn those reporter eyes._ Alya missed nothing

"He only found out recently!" Marinette hurried to rush. "I didn't-It wasn't like I-I mean, I didn't want to hide it from you…"

"But you did," Alya quietly interrupted. "Girl, I get protecting your secret identity. Not wanting anyone to know, to protect yourself and them too."

"Exactly!"

"But," she continued, "What I don't understand is you telling him before me. I know you've been in love with him forever and whatever, but I'm your best friend. Or at least I thought I was. But you put some guy before us?" She paused, waiting. "Please explain this to me, Marinette. If you were trying to protect me by not telling me, why does he know? Or was I just not important enough to be in the loop."

Marinette could feel the tears running down her face. Not because of Alya's anger, because nothing that she just said was in anger. She was calm and articulate, but Marinette could see the hurt in her eyes, and the tears matching her own. But how could she explain? Alya was right, it looked exactly like she had told this guy she only recently became close to before her best friend. It looked like Marinette had trusted him more with this secret. And not that she didn't trust Alya, but she _did_ trust Adrien more with this secret because he had as much to lose as she did. But of course, she couldn't tell Alya that.

"Alya," she began, but couldn't find the words. She wouldn't lie to her best friend. Not again, and certainly not right now.

Alya looked at her, waiting, but when it became clear Marinette had nothing to say, she started backing out of the room.

"I can't be here right now. I'll talk to you later, I guess." And while Marinette was relieved to hear her say that, she had a horrible feeling that if they ended this conversation like this, and she let Alya walk out that door, their friendship would be irrevocable changed.

Just as she was about to call out, Adrien beat her to it.

"Alya, wait!" He ran over to her, and grabbed her wrist to stop her.

"Adrien, I know you mean well, but this isn't really about you."

"No, it is. She had a good reason for telling me. I promise."

"That's nice, but I really doubt-"

"Plagg, claws out!" Adrien yelled, startling Alya who took a step back and Marinette whose hand flew to her mouth as a green flash ricocheted off the windows and glossy wood surfaces.

They all stood in silence for a few moments, before Alya shuffled to the side a few steps to link her arm with Marinette's, as if needing to physically touch her to assure herself that they were both real and this was all really happening.

"Oh. My. God." she said for the second time in the last hour.

"Good enough reason? Adrien asked, his cocky Chat smirk pointed in her direction

"Mhmm," Alya nodded, once again at an actual loss for words.

"I'm best friends with superheroes." She whispered in a daze, looking back and forth between the two of them.

"Oh my god, Mari!" She turned and grabbed Marinette by her arms tightly. "I'm so sorry! I didn't know! You were protecting him too! I just saw how calm he was, and jumped to conclusions, but I was wrong, I-"

"It's okay, " she cut Alya off, grabbing her elbows. "I completely get it. I'd be upset too, and it so looked like I was cutting you off."

"You're Ladybug!" She turned, throwing her hands in the air. "And you're Chat Noir! OhmydearsweetJesus, please be on the Ladyblog. Please please please please please-"

"Okay guys, I think we have like 10 more minutes while Natalie deals with that," Nino interrupted Alya as he backed into the room checking the hall and slowly closing the door behind him. "What'd I miss?" He asked mid-turn, and then promptly shouted "Dude!"

Looking in Alya's direction he asked, "What are Chat Noir and Ladybug doing here? And where did Marinette and Adrien go?"

"Oh hun, come here." She reached out her hand in his direction, and then turned to Marinette. "At least I wasn't the last one to know." She winked in Adrien's direction.

"Sit down, Nino. Let me catch you up."


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

As it turned out, Natalie was only distracted for about 6 minutes, and the pitter patter of her heels started moving in their direction quickly. With his Chat senses, Adrien picked it up first, signaling them all the hurry and cover their tracks. Marinette went to put back some binders they had dislodged, and Alya went over to the safe, grabbing the peacock pin from off the ground where Marinette had eventually dropped it and something else that caught her eye, before closing the door, spinning the dial and swinging the picture over it.

Adrien went to the window, shoving it open and jumped out, balancing on his baton and reaching for Alya. Quickly he propelled them both up to his room, helping her through the window, and quickly dropping down to do the same for Nino.

He looked out the window just as Ladybug's yoyo zipped up, encircling like a lasso around his wrist. He immediately braced himself against the window frame as she hung upside down like a spider and pushed the window shut from above just as Natalie walked into the room.

The yoyo retracted, and Ladybug tumbled gracefully into the room, coming to rest on one knee.

"Thanks, kitty," she addressed Chat, standing up and giving his bell a teasing flick. "She didn't see me."

"Always happy _tabby_ of help, M'Lady." He winked as he leaned on his baton roguishly.

They grinned at each other and Chat took a step towards her, but then they remembered their audience.

Blushing, Marinette murmured "Spots off" and Adrien followed suit.

"So it's actually true." Nino said.

"Yeah, " Adrien nervously rubbed the back of his head, waiting for Nino to respond similarly to Alya.

"Cool," Nino said instead, as if Adrien told him he painted in his spare time, not moonlighted as one half of Paris' crime-fighting pair. "Guess that explains why you're so in love with Ladybug." He smirked, looking over to Marinette.

"What?!" Marinette and Alya squacked together.

"Yeah, " he chuckled, nodding over to Adrien's computer setup. "His desktop is covered with photos."

Before he had even finished, Alya was up and running towards the desktop, and not even Adrien's cat-like reflexes could stop her. She jiggled the mouse, and up popped his screen saver, a collage he had personally made of official ladybug photos and witness pictures of the two of them zooming over the Paris rooftops, more than a few of them, taken directly from the LadyBlog.

His face was so red it was almost purple by the time Marinette came over and bumped him with her hip.

"Guess we were both half in love with each other before. The only thing in our way was ourselves." She giggled lightly and took his hand in hers. Squeezing her hand, he let go of a breath he'd been holding and kissed the top of her head.

Alya looked over at the two, ridiculously happy for her best friend and grinned in Nino's direction. She had just won another 10 euro.

"Anymore pictures on here, lover boy?" She asked, teasing, and opened his desktop. A picture of his mother at a younger age appeared as the background, jolting them all back on task.

"Alya," Adrien spoke first, "what was that other thing you grabbed out of my father's safe?"

"Oh!" Alya reached into her bag and placed the broach on the table. Lightly beside it, she placed a small figurine, blue with large oval eyes, and a peacock tail. "It was peacock themed too, so I thought maybe it was impor-"

"Adrien!" Marinette gasped. "Is that…?" She trailed off.

"I think so. Plagg, Tikki?"

The two kwamis emerged from their separate hiding places, and Alya and Nino took their appearance quite calmly. After Marinette quickly explained who they were, Alya just shrugged at the appearance of two floating creatures.

"My best friend is a red and black dotted superhero who swings over paris using a magic yoyo." Alya explained, " I think I've hit my quota of weird for the day. Of course you're friends with a small immortal god, that flies and gives you your powers. Why not?"

Tikki smiled gently at the girl, and floated over with Plagg to the table Alya stood near.

"Duusu! What's wrong with her. Plagg?" but for once, the sassy cat had nothing to say.

"We need to get her to Master Fu, " Tikki looked at her miraculous holder.

"So she's a kwami?" Marinette asked.

"Yes," Tikki looked back worriedly at Duusu. "That broach is her miraculous. That's why I didn't want you to touch it; that activated your miraculous. It's an attempt to keep multiple miraculous from being given to one person. That much power can be dangerous." She paused, looking over at Plagg. "How could this have happened? She looks almost...shell-shocked?"

"Something must've happened to her wielder. Some trauma or forced separation?" He shook his head. "Fu will know." He looked at his miraculous wielder in a brief moment of tenderness, remembering at least one traumatic experience when he wished he could escape like Duusu was doing now. Adrien simply nodded his head, opening his jacket for Plagg to get back inside. Tikki did the same with Marinette as the brunette cupped her hands and ever so gently placed Duusu in her purse next to Tikki, where her red friend would make sure she was okay on their way to Master Fu.

"So who is this Master Fu?"' Alya asked as Adrien called for the Gorilla to drive them downtown. Marinette was proud of her friend for keeping her questions to the minimum for the time being. She would happily tell her everything, relieved beyond words that there was no longer this secret looming between them, but her mind was completely occupied by the worry engendered in her by Tikki's grim expression.

"He holds all the miraculous," she glanced over to Adrien and he waved them all forward. "He chooses the miraculous wielders. He gave Adrien and I ours." She stopped after that brief explanation, aware of the extra set of ears inside the car.

Alya nodded, and pulled her phone out. Tapping away, Marinette assumed she was taking notes or writing down some theories, so she left her to her own devices and instead slid into the car. Placing her purse extra-gingerly in her lap, she made sure to get a secure grip to avoid any unnecessary jostling, and then rested her head against the window, taking comfort in the cool pane of glass and condensation on her brow.

She sat next to Alya, with Nino on the other side. Adrien sat in the front with the Gorilla, but he kept looking back at her and her purse. She gave him a small smile, wishing he were next to her. He smiled back and she distracted herself with thoughts of Adrien. It was amazing, and a bit terrifying, how close they had become in such a short time.

 _But then again_ , she though, _we've actually been close for over a year. He's mon chaton_. Maybe their current relationship was just a composite of the two they had before, and mushing her feelings for Adrien and Chat together just felt overwhelming because it was new, but not new, foreign yet familiar, all at the same time.

 _I want to kiss him again_ , the thought sprung into her mind, and she ducked her head against the window, smiling a bit and trying to hide her blush.

They pulled up to the cafe Adrien had directed the Gorilla to, and Adrien was up in a flash and opening the door for her. Careful not to jostle Duusu, she got out of the car. He took her hand, and didn't let go.

Waving to the Gorilla, the four went into the cafe and waited, watching him until he pulled away and turned the corner, before leaving and walking across the street to the unassuming walk-up where Fu lived.

Marinette knocked lightly on the bamboo door. Master Fu, much quicker than his age of almost 200 would suggest, was at the door almost instantly.

"I had a feeling you two would visit me soon."

"Master Fu, " Marinette stepped forward, bowing respectfully. "We need your help." She held out Duusu, with Tikki hovering close nearby.

"Oh, Duusu," he sighed sadly, taking the kwami gently into his own hands. "You'd better come in," He called over his shoulder as he walked in, not questioning their other two guests.

They followed.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Adrien followed Marinette into the sparse apartment, with Alya and Nino walking behind him, but more hesitantly. He felt bad that the two were suddenly thrust into the middle of all this without warning or choice. He wanted to explain, give them a chance to to back out. They had been nice to help him look into his mom's disappearance, but this was quickly spiraling into a more dangerous situation. As much as he wanted Alya's canny intelligence and Nino's calm grounding, he didn't want his friends to get sucked into something that could hurt them.

Marinette was a different situation. She almost had as much at stake as he did, and he wouldn't insult her and their partnership of the last year by insinuating she couldn't protect herself. As little as he wanted her to put herself into a dangerous position, Marinette could handle better than he could anything that the world threw at them. They were a team, but despite what their juxtaposition of her reluctance and his ready embrace of their roles as superheroes might suggest, Marinette had proved how born for this life she was. Her hesitation may have made her appear less than graceful at first, but his eagerness led to stupidity and only because of her cautious approach to the role did they not fail that first attack. He knew she was still uncertain and insecure at times, but in the heat of the battle, under pressure when it really mattered, Marinette had always been logical and decisive: the calm in the storm.

He grabbed her hand again, and she laced her fingers with his almost instinctively, as if they'd been doing it all their lives. _Please don't let me screw this up_ , he prayed to whatever god was listening. Adrien may seem picture perfect in daily life, but he was keenly aware that there was nothing ironic about the fact that he had been chosen for the destructive miraculous. He often felt like a wrecking ball moving through life. He just did it behind the scenes in his personal life, not the physical wrecking ball that Marinette sometimes resembled.

Master Fu had placed Duusu on a plush mat in the center of his studio, and after performing whatever inspection he had been doing, he looked up at Marinette and Adrien. Instead of resting on them though, his eyes focused in on Tikki and Plagg, who had been hovering in between the two, above their huddled shoulders.

"She has gone through a shock, and submersed herself in a forced stupor to protect the miraculous. We are very indebted to whoever protected her and the miraculous, or else she would have been lost to us."

"It was my father," Adrien interjected, "Hawkmoth."

"Ah, so you know."

Adrien just gaped at him, fury burning at his collar and threatening to overwhelm him. "You knew!" he sputtered indignantly. "My father is being controlled by some psychopath that has my mother god-knows-where, and you just sat by and did nothing? You coward!"

Adrien was visibly shaking, and Marinette moved to hold his hand with both of her's, grounding him, but one look at her face and he saw his anger reflected, albeit to a lesser degree. Surprisingly, this calmed him. He wasn't alone. He wasn't being irrational. He glanced back at Alya and Nino to see similar expressions, and took a calming breath.

Master Fu, looked around the room, observing all of them individually and as a group. Then he smiled. It was bittersweet, tinged with a bit of grief.

"I see I chose well," he muttered to himself before continuing to address Adrien directly. "I'm not aware to all of what you speak, but yes. I gave your father his miraculous, and your-well, perhaps that is for later. I discovered something had gone wrong, but had lost all contact with your father and Nooro. I can advise when called on, but I am merely the keper of the miraculous, after they make their choice...well, I can't revoke that. The miraculous must be given up willingly." Fu looked at Adrien, and he felt his temper start to abate. Fu continued, "When it became clear that the miraculous was being used for the wrong purpose, the core two called to me. They were ready to be wielded again, and so I followed them to whom they led." He stopped and smiled fondly at Marinette and Adrien. "I know you both had your doubts, but you are who you need to be, and the miraculous are never wrong, even about your father, my boy." Adrien began to protest, but Fu held up a hand to stop him. "It is never wrong."

"Because he is only protecting his family. They're manipulating him through his love for Adela and Adrien." Marinette piped in, understanding Fu. "Love is never corrupt, but it can be used to corrupt others."

"Yes my dear," he looked down, sadly at Duusu. "We can save her. Duusuu will no doubt have valuable information about this quest you four have undertaken." He looked around knowingly. They had said nothing about their search for Adrien's mother. Either Fu knew more than he was letting on, or was a bit miraculous himself.

"No," he said again. "The miraculous is never wrong. It chose you. It chose your father." he paused, deliberating.

"It chose your mother."


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

At some point, you become desensitised to shocking news. Like fighting against the barrage of wave after wave, eventually you have to let go and just let the current carry you. Let it wash over you, take it in, and keep going.

Adrien hadn't gotten there yet. Each revelation was like a fresh blow, suckerpunching him directly in the stomach. As his knees slowly gave out, Marinette transferred her arm to around his waist, slowly lowering them to the ground, and Nino came up on his other side. Together, they sank into a semicircle, with Alya next to Marinette, and pointed themselves in Fu's direction.

"My mother," Adrien repeated, incredulous.

Marinette said nothing, just looked at Fu in expectation. Surely he wasn't just going to say that and move on. Thankfully, Nino never had an issue asking the obvious questions.

"This is his mom's kwami."

Fu simply nodded, but held his hands up in a placating manner. "First, we have left Duusu in this position for much too long. Tikki? Plagg? If you will, please."

The kwamis floated back over seeming to know exactly what Fu wanted them to do, and as much as Adrien wanted to protest, he assented. Fu was right, and if Duusu was really his mother's kwami, then he was even more anxious to know the small god.

Marinette watched Adrien carefully. She had always thought him a perfect balance to his powers as Chat Noir because of his levity and outgoing personality. He may wield destruction, but he would never succumb to it. She was just beginning to realize how wrong she was. His control of his power was built on a far stronger foundation; he had faced destruction and lived. He rarely spoke of his childhood, even in an obscure way as Chat. She'd only managed to glean bits and pieces from him in the past, but after the last week, she'd been able to piece it all together. Not a complete picture of course, but enough to show her that it hadn't been anything like her own childhood.

His father was much colder now, but Gabriel had been spiraling in that direction since Adrien had been young. His business took off, and faced with mounting pressures from elsewhere, he delegated his attentions away from his family. Adela had some shortfalls as well. Ever the doting mother, she tried to shelter Adrien from her and Gabriel's increasingly stressful marriage, and often times relied too much on the young boy's companionship. She had left her life and family back in Avignon to support Gabriel in his dream, but her own dream had always been a large family. Health complications with her first pregnancy had made that impossible, so she poured all her affection into Adrien, protecting him from everything she could. If she were really a miraculous holder, Marinette could only imagine how much more careful she would be, knowing full well the dangers of the world around them, even without a Hawkmoth to fight. So Adrien had been coddled by one parent, to the point where he was separated from almost anyone in the outside world, and ignored for the better part of his formative years by the other. Suddenly, he finds out that all that has been a lie, at least partially, and his strange but stable world is destroyed.

Marinette gave thanks for the hundredth time that week for her own steady and loving parents, who to most would look unassuming and unremarkable, but Marinette would never make that mistake again.

She leaned into Adrien's side a bit more, and turned her attention to what Tikki and Plagg were doing. They held hands and formed a circle, hovering just above Duusu. Rotating slowly, Marinette felt rather than heard a hum go through the room. Adrien sat up, reacting to the same sensation, but a look at Alya and Nino confirmed it was just them who could sense it. Glancing back, she saw Plagg's antena start to glow a faint green and Tikki's a pale pink. Their anteni rose slowly over their heads coming to meet in between them and glow a bright white. The light traveled slowly downward and into Duusu, who at once began to look like a kwami again and not a stiff figurine. Slowly, she started to stir, but didn't open her eyes yet. Plagg and Tikki disconnected, and flew back over towards their people.

Lethargically, Tikki rested on Marinette's shoulder and against her neck. Marinette instantly began to dig through her purse, finding a few cookies and handed it to the kwami who breathed out a grateful, "Thank you" before munching down. Her head turned when she smelled a sharp and pungent scent. She looked over and saw Adrien giving Plagg a wedge of camembert, and started to giggle.

"Oh my god! That's why you always smell faintly of gym socks." She began to laugh in earnest, and felt Tikki chuckling on her shoulder too.

His eyes seemed to light up from somewhere within at the sound of her laughter.

"All a part of the intoxicating man you fell for, M'Lady." he smirked with a waggle of his eyebrows in her direction.

"Intoxicating? More like nauseating cheesy to go along with that nauseating cheese," Alya muttered from Marinette's left, and the four started laughing hysterically, more from the release of the recent stress than from anything truly funny, but it was liberating nonetheless.

"Is that all you eat?" Nino addressed Plagg.

"It's the only thing worth eating," Plagg retorted, not without sass. He added, "I have _refined_ tastes."

"The refined tastes of an alley cat," Tikki snickered, and Adrien laughed.

"Oh, stop ganging up on poor Plagg," Marinette chided, but was smiling. "My dad makes a really good camembert loaf, Plagg. I'll bring you some next time." Plagg looked over at Marinette with a look of true adoration, Adrien noted and the tiny god floated over to settle himself on Marinette's other shoulder. She crinkled her nose a bit at the smell of the cheese, but looked triumphantly in Adrien's direction nonetheless. Adrien's heart skipped a beat, the way it always did when he was fortunate enough to be on the receiving end of a Marinette smile.

She turned away, her attention was captured once again by the reason for their visit: Duusu. The kwami slowly opened her eyes, and looked up. "Master Fu," she breathed a sigh of relief. Then, looking around, her eyes landed on Adrien, and tears started to flow over her indigo cheeks.

"Adrien?" she choked out, and flew to hug his face.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Adrien, startled by the sudden outpouring of emotion from this unfamiliar kwami, froze. Darting his eyes to Plagg, his kwami had his usual look of amusement twinged with just a hint of what Adrien thought was possessiveness. After a minute of Duusu crying into his cheek though, Plagg started to become more visibly irritated. Tikki, after centuries of practice reading Plagg's moods, moved in to intervene and tried and extract the distraught kwami from the uncomfortable boy.

"Duusu, dear, come here," she pulled Duusu away from Adrien, wiping her eyes, and led her back to the mat. She looked back at Plagg, and after a moment he sighed and floated over too.

"Duusu, what happened?"

The kwami became visible distraught again, wringing her hands in an anxious manner, and looking around the room to avoid making direct eye contact. Her eyes landed on Adrien. As tears threatened to overflow again, she turned her gaze to Tikki.

"They took my Adela," she sobbed, but continued in a barely intelligible slur that Adrien barely puzzled out. "Nooro and I had a bad feeling about him. For years, there was just something...off with that boy. And when Gabriel and Dela got married it just got worse. When Dela had Adrien, that was the last straw…"

From what Duusu remembered, this man always acted...peculiarly around Adrien. Adela mentioned it to Gabriel, but he was Gabriel's best friend from childhood, so he was reluctant to think ill of him. Everything came to a head when one day, they were all at the park. Gabriel got up to get something they'd forgotten in the car, and the man made a move on Adela. When she refused, he became violent. She didn't want to transform and scare Adrien, but when he shoved Adrien, only a toddler at the time, Adela became livid. Gabriel, who had been walking back up the hill was close enough to see this violence and transformed immediately. It was the first time he used his powers in anger, and Duusu refused to say exactly what happened next, but whatever it was it was enough to terrify this man.

"He was jealous of what you all had," Duusu directed this at Adrien. "I know what you remember of your childhood wasn't always great, but your first few years of life were full of love and family. Then the threats began, and Adela became paranoid that something would happen to you. Your father worked relentlessly in creating an empire that would make you all untouchable. Fame takes away privacy, but it did offer you all some protection, for a time. The notes stopped." She sighed, looking to Fu now. "How long has Adela been gone?"

"15 months," Adrien answered instead, a shake in his voice. _They'd been truly happy?_ He couldn't remember a time when his family hadn't been strained. There would be moments, but nothing like what Duusu was describing.

Duusu floated over to him, her small hand resting on the tip of his nose as she looked him directly in the eye.

"She is alive, my boy. I would feel it if she were not." She stared at him to make sure he understood, and he nodded. They had known this, of course, from the photos, but still a small part of Adrien was unconvinced. Duusu said it with so much certainty though, he felt this knot loosen, and he took a deeper breath.

"The letters started up again two years ago now. He was back, and from what it sounded like, he had a following now. It wasn't just angry letters anymore, he'd found a purpose. He couldn't steal the miraculous himself, but he could use the secret his old friend had trusted him with to achieve his new goal. Destroying the perfect Agreste family in the process was just a fringe benefit."

"What was he planning," Alya asked, leaning forward in rapt attention.

Duusu shook her head, "I'm not entirely sure what his end is, but some kind of coup. He craves power more than anything else. He sees the power the miraculous gave your father, and the fashion empire he created for himself making himself a very respected person in the community. It had always been a competition between them, and your father always the one on top. When he felt like he had been rejected from their inner circle, he found love and admiration somewhere else." Duusu paused, contemplating for a moment. "It's some kind of fringe political movement. He made mentions of the corruption of the mayor a few times and how his new 'friends' understood that Paris needed to be destroyed before it could be saved."

"But what does that have to do with the Agrestes?" Alya pushed aside her own emotions and was in full journalist mode. Adrien was extremely grateful, because his mind was spinning so fast he didn't think he'd be able to dig through all the thoughts to piece together the questions he needed answered.

"He wanted their help," Duusu shrugged. "At first the notes were apologies for his actions towards them previously, and brochures on this 'new way', but Adela saw right through it. What they were talking about was mayhem, and he wanted their powers and Gabriel's status to back him. After multiple rejections again, that's when the letters became violent. Until one day it wasn't just letters. Someone started following Adela, and when we went out for groceries they backed her into a corner and didn't give her a choice." She stopped, trying to control herself.

"Please, Duusu," Adrien whispered. "I need to know. I need to find her."

"Oh Adrien, they found a blonde boy, about your height, and they must have had a recording of your voice. They dragged your doppleganger into an alley and threatened to kill him unless she came willingly, so she did. Just before they knocked her out, the boy turned his head enough that she saw it wasn't your face. Giving herself away at that point would have been futile, and she couldn't risk someone getting their hands on the miraculous, so she ripped off the scarf the miraculous broach was on and dropped it to the ground. Discreetly covering me with the scarf in the process, she kicked it all under a nearby dumpster."

"And you don't know anything else because you were in a suspended stupor?" Alya asked, and Duusu nodded. Alya hummed, and Adrien noticed she had a notepad out and was writing this all down. She looked towards him.

"That must be where your father found Duusu and the broach. It's a classic kidnapper scheme," she continued. "They tell the family some bit of information or evidence that the person has actually been kidnapped. Someone must have seen her drop the scarf and thought it would look like proof enough. What they didn't know was that she actually wanted the scarf to be found."

"Wait, Duusu," Marinette spoke up. "What is this guy's name?"

"Germain. Germain Bourgeois."


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

"Wait, Mayor Bourgeois?" Nino asked incredulously.

"No, his name is André," Alya responded, but was just as perplexed.

"His younger brother, " Duusu clarified. "He's become a bit of the black sheep of the family. Never accomplished anything and never really got along with his older, prodigal brother. Trust me, there is no love lost there."

"I think I remember him," Adrien said suddenly. "Chloé and I would play together when were were younger, and I always remember thinking about him as her other dad. He was always there."

Duusu nodded in excitement to see Adrien remembering a bit more. "You were really young, so it's no surprise you don't remember him better, but he was working for the mayor back then. That's how your parents became closer to André. They both had small children, so it was only natural, but I can only imagine how that grated on Germain."

Adrien had so many questions that he needed answered, but he could see Duusu's strength waning. Fu noticed the same, and was just about to call off the questioning for the day when a loud crash sounded from outside.

"Daaadd," Adrien whined in exasperation.

Marinette smirked, but looked at Adrien worriedly. "I can handle this one Kitty. You don't have to leave too."

"Absolutely not," Adrien responded with a fire, grabbing her hand as he stood. Then softer, "we're a team." Then he gave a quick wave to Alya and Nino. "Talk tomorrow?"

"Definitely," Nino assured him, giving him a mock salute that made him smile.

The two transformed and jumped through the open window.

He hadn't said it explicitly, but Marinette could hear the words Adrien left unspoken. His mother had been a miraculous holder, and was still cornered and taken. He was not about to leave Marinette vulnerable to the same fate. He wasn't stupid enough to insinuate that she couldn't protect herself, but they were stronger together. That was the simple truth, and she wouldn't let him go out and fight alone either.

They skidded to a stop in the middle of a wide street a few blocks away from the akuma, an older man in maybe his mid-fifties dressed in what appeared to be large, white, padded jumpsuit.

"What are you supposed to be? The marshmallow man?" Ladybug asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Let's light a fire under him, shall we?" Chat grinned and rubbed leaned on his baton. She rolled his eyes in his direction.

"Ready?"

"I'm always ready to give someone their _just desserts_." She tried to ignore hi as she observed the akuma, who appeared to be eating everything in sight. Literally. He had become the size of the blimp, his white jumpsuit billowing out around him, and he stomped through the street guzzling street vendor carts and cars whole.

"Okay, let's go before he destroys Paris." She tensed to run.

"Don't be _mallow_ dramatic, M'Lady.' he winked at her, but also got ready.

"I AM MASTER MARSHMALLOW AND I WANT S'MORE!" Master marshmallow roared

"You've got to be kidding me. I don't even want to know the story behind this one."

"I'm never kitten about you, M'Lady." Chat smirked and leaned over to kiss her cheek.

"Now I see where you get the puns from. Like father like son."

His face darkened a bit, but he smiled. "I'll have to remember to mention that to dear Papa when we confront him, but for now, shall we, Bugaboo? I've got a plan."

"Finally," she grabbed his hand, and the ran towards the fluffy destruction zone.

Alya was reluctant to leave. She had a strange feeling that they weren't done yet, with or without Adrinette/LadyNoir. She smirked. The ships had sailed, both of them. She was mildly annoyed that she wouldn't be able to gush about LadyNoir with all her loyal blog-followers, but seeing Adrinette so happy made up for it. She looked over at Nino, and was relieved to see that he wasn't making any move to leave either.

Master Fu had retreated into some back room, presumably to settle Duusu somewhere more comfortable and get the kwami some sustenance.

"I have a weird feeling about this place," Nino suddenly spoke from beside her.

"Weird good or weird bad?" Alya was genuinely curious as to Nino's feeling. He didn't often let onto it, and everyone only seemed to see the beatboy, bro exterior, but Nino was one of the best judges of character and was extremely perceptive about people and situations. He always said he could "feel the beat"in people-his way of saying different people gave off different vibes. It was what made him an amazing DJ; he could always read the crowd. But more than once, Nino had spotted a pickpocket or a creep when they were out together before even Alya's canny reporter eyes did, and steered them both out of their path.

"Weird like a change is coming." He paused, deciding. "Weird good."

With a start, Alya noticed Fu in the doorway, looking at Nino with a peculiar expression.

"You are very perceptive, are you not?"

Nino looked back unflinchingly, "People are easy to read if you know what to look for."

Fu nodded, walking towards them and coming to sit crossed legged on the other side of the mat. He move much more fluidly than his age would suggest. Marinette had whispered it to her when they walked in and Alya could barely keep her eyes in their sockets and her jaw from unhinging.

"Yet you are not at inquisitive as your friend here."

Nino paused, carefully choosing the words for his answer. "Alya is cleverer than I. She knows the way to ask things to get the answers she is looking for. She can interact with anyone and only give away exactly what she wants to get them to talk. I'm more of an observer. People reveal themselves with more than just their words, and I prefer to slide by unnoticed and go at my own pace."

Alya looked over at Nino, surprised by his candice. He was absolutely right. She knew Nino could cause a distraction as well as anyone else, that very afternoon had proved that, but usually she was the frontman in their shenanigans.

"Ah, the clever fox and the wise turtle." Master Fu nodded slowly. "I don't know how much Adrien and Marinette had time to tell you, but I am the holder of the miraculous. I protect them, but I am also guided by them. They direct me to those who are worthy to wield their powers. I am also a wielder myself." he paused and looked at them both. "I am an old man though, and no longer as spry as I once was. If all Duusu has told us is true, and I have no doubt it is, than this fight is no place for an old man like me."

Alya narrowed her eyes in confusion. _Where is he going with this?_

Fu looked at Alya.

"I knew it was you the moment you walked in, my dear. But you," he turned his gaze on Nino. "I have been waiting for you for many years, my son."

He started loosening a bracelet around his wrist. It was of brown leather with a piece of jade carved into the shape of a turtle. He placed it on the mat in front of him. Pivoting at the waist, he turned and pulled something else from a hexagonal chest. Placing it next to the bracelet, Alya could see that it was a gold necklace, with a hook shaped pendant that burned from white to a deep orange at the base. She had a sudden vision of Tikki being sucked into Marinette's earrings and Plagg into Adrien's ring.

"Are these-," she gasped, looking over at a stoic-faced Nino.

"They are yours," Master Fu stopped her.

Alya reached forward in excitement, but stopped when she realized that Nino still hadn't moved. He was staring at Fu with an indescribable expression. Fu reached over and placed a hand on the boys knee.

"I have done all I need to do and said all I needed to say. Wayzz and I are in agreement. You are who I was waiting for." He leaned back, and Nino nodded.

"Wayzz?" he asked, leaning down to pick up the bracelet.

"The kwami attached to your miraculous. He will guide you, as Trixx will you," Fu added looking at Alya.

They both slipped the miraculous into their pockets, not daring to put them on yet. Bowing deeply to Master Fu, they took their leave of the apartment, different people than when they had walked in.

Nino reached over and grabbed Alya's hand, needing to convince himself that she was there and real. She squeezed his hand gently in understanding and they started walking in the direction of their homes.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

The next night, Marinette lay on her bed staring at the ceiling. She had sent Adrien home from patrol the night before because he was dead on his feet. He assented without a fight, kissing her on the forehead with a yawn, and vaulted off into the distance. She said a little prayer that Plagg would keep him in one piece until he got home. A brief text a few minutes later assured her that he did, and she swung around a bit, doing a brief patrol of her own on her way home.

It was Saturday, so she hadn't seen Alya or Nino since yesterday, and both were curiously silent on the messaging front. She had received radio silence from Nino and only a brief "Talk tomorrow?" from Alya. Thinking maybe they needed their space to absorb everything that happened the day before, she gave them their space.

Adrien was less concerning. She glanced over at her wall adorned with his pictures and smiled, she'd taken a few down so it didn't look quite as obsessive, but a good third of her collage had survived. _For fashion purposes,_ she'd lied to herself. Plagg had texted her back from Adrien's phone after the fourth unanswered message she had sent seemed more frantic. Apparently Adrien had slept all morning, woke up briefly to get Plagg some cheese, and then promptly fell back asleep. Plagg claimed to be wasting away from lack of food and had started to beg Marinette to bring sustenance.

She glanced at her watch. It was almost five. Surely Adrien was awake, and she could bring Plagg that camembert loaf she had promised. Energized with a plan, she darted downstairs to grab a loaf and put it in a bread bag.

She rushed back upstairs, taking them two at a time and closed the hatch to her room behind her. Hopefully her parents would assume that she was doing homework. _Maybe I should tell them I'm going over Alya's?_

She pondered this as she turned, and yelped in surprise, dropping the loaf. Perched in her window was a certain black cat, ears perked and tail swishing. She went closer and saw that he was quietly laughing at her.

She walked up to the window with a smile, and swiftly shut the curtains in his face.

"How'd you like that, Kitty?" she said to herself, with a smirk.

"That was _pawfully_ rude, Purrincess," a voice from behind her said.

She shrieked again and turned to see him hanging upside down from the skylight above her bed. She picked up the loaf and threw it at him. He pulled out of the way at the last minute, and it sounded with a thud against the wall. He was a little too thoroughly enjoying catching her off-guard.

"Are you alright, honey?" Sabine, Marinette's mom, called from below and Marinette could just make out the sound of her feet heading upstairs.

"Fine, mom!" She assured quickly. "I just tripped. You know me!" she ended with an anxious laugh, waiting to hear Sabine's retreating steps. When she did, she turned on Chat.

"What's rude, Adrien, is sneaking up on me like that after not responding all day."

His face softened, and he dropped onto her bed releasing his transformation.

"Sorry Bugaboo," he rubbed the back of head nervously. "Guess it all just hit me."

"Yeah, Plagg told me. I was just about to come over actually. Apparently you were being very neglectful and letting him starve." she made a tsk tsk noise and walked over to pick up the loaf of bread. Grabbing a plate from her desk she had used for a croissant earlier, she placed the loaf on it.

"Bon appetit, Plagg!"

Plagg zoomed over and hesitated just above the loaf, looking over to Marinette.

"You're my hero."

She giggled and grabbed a few cookies from her secret stash for Tikki too. Her kwami looked at her and they shared an amused expression at Plagg's exuberance, before Marinette walked over to the bed and sat next to Adrien.

"Do you want to talk-"

"Can we just have a normal night?" Adrien interrupted. He pedaled back immediately, continuing, "Yes, I definitely do want to talk about it. Maybe tomorrow, and with Nino and Alya. And we obviously need to talk to my father too, but-can we pretend it doesn't exist for a while? Just for tonight?"

Marinete studied him carefully. "Okay," she agreed, suddenly nervous having a boy in her room with nothing pressing to talk about. "Erm, what do you want to do?"

"What were you going to do before I got here?" He asked as he looked around, but before she could answer he spun around and looked directly back at her.

"Actually," he strutted over to her desk, and posed against it, crossing his arms and leaning back in his signature move. "I do want to talk. About this." He nodded towards her wall and she felt her face flush crimson. He looked at her with a twinkle in his eyes and…

"Are...Are you _smizing_ at me?" She asked incredulously, but the only description for his facial expression at that moment was a _smize._

"Just demonstrating my irresistible- _paw_ modeling powers. You seem _meow_ -smerized by them." He wiggled his eyebrows, ruining the smoldering effect of his pose but throwing her into giggles.

"You're right, chaton. How ever can I resist such a seductive look and such sweet prose?" She exclaimed, throwing her arm over her forehead dramatically but really trying to hold in her laughter as he walked...no, prowled...slowly towards her.

Grabbing her by the waist, he pulled her closer and stole a kiss from her still laughing lips.

"But really," he pulled back. "What were you going to do before I got here?"

"Well, I was planning to come see you actually, but before that I was contemplating a Project Runway marathon."

"I've never actually seen it."

"WHAT?! But-but you're a model! Your family's in the fashion business, and you've never seen Project Runway?" She was shocked, but he just shrugged. She pushed him onto her bed and back against her headboard. Smirking to herself as she saw him gravitate towards her cat pillow, she quickly ran downstairs to get popcorn.

After grabbing a blanket and her laptop, she passed the bowl to Adrien, and settled in next to him spreading the blanket to cover them both. With the laptop balanced between them, she started from season one.

"Prepare for your life to be changed."

Hours later, Tikki and Plagg smirked, looking at their two charges who had fallen asleep with Marinette's head on Adrien's chest.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

The next morning Alya looked down at the two with a conspiratorial grin and took a photo to commemorate this historic occasion. Marinette's eyes began to open and she looked up groggily at Alya.

"My baby girl, all grown up and saving Paris... And falling asleep next to boys who are also saving Paris," Alya chuckled.

Marinette looked down at the arm draped around her waist and back at the blonde boy behind her. Screaming she rolled away and fell out of bed, landing with a thunk.

"Marinette?" Sabine's voice echoed up.

"It's okay Ms. Cheng," Alya popped her head down the hatch. "I just scared her. She was still asleep."

Sabine laughed airily, "Okay dear, just try not to let her fall out a window, will you? She get's her gracefulness from her father."

"Hey!" She could hear Mr. Dupain protest, mock-insulted from below.

"Oh, hush Tom," she winked at Alya, and walked back down the stairs.

Alya turned around to see Marinette still sitting on the floor with a stupefied look on her face. Adrien sat up, also still half-asleep.

"Alya?" he looked around at his surroundings, his gaze coming to rest on Marinette. "Bugaboo," he said with a soft look on his face. Suddenly his eyes widened, and he looked down at his wrist where there wasn't a watch.

"What time is is?" he demanded of Alya.

"9."

"Oh shoot shoot shoot.." he hopped around, gathering his jacket and slipping on his shoes.

"Plagg! Plagg!" He looked around the room. "I have a shoot at 10, Natalie will freak if she doesn't find me in my room."

"Even his half-asleep curses are punny," Marinette murmured to herself, watching his progress through the room and starting to stand.

Plagg floated over groggily. "Get enough beauty sleep, blondie?"

"Plagg we've gotta go," he said, ignoring the kwami's sass. "Claws out!"

The small god was sucked into his ring before he could get another word in, and Chat ran toward the open the skylight that led out onto the balcony. Then he stopped suddenly and spun around, taking two large steps across the room directly towards Marinette, who had managed to stand up fully during his flurry through the room.

Cupping her cheek with one hand and grabbing the back of her head with the other, he kissed her thoroughly and Marinette leaned into him, her hands coming to rest as fists against his leather-clad chest.

"Thanks, _Purr_ -incess. I'll see you later." He gave her a wink and one more kiss on the cheek. With a brief grin and unabashed wave to Alya, he jumped out the window and off the balcony, disappearing as a black spot in the distance as he vaulted across the city.

Marinette sat down again, leaning against her bed for support. Alya sat down across from her.

"Bugaboo, huh?" She cocked an eyebrow at her best friend. Marinette picked up a pillow and threw it at her.

"Manners, _Purr_ -incess!" Alya exclaimed in pretend-horror, and they both dissolved into giggles.

Once Marinette had woken up fully, both girls went down for breakfast and were stuffed full of pastries courtesy of Tom.

"The perks of having a best friend with a bakery," Alya signed dreamily, finishing off her apple danish as they walked back upstairs. "So sorry to break up the love fest this morning, " Alya gave Marinette and eyebrow wiggle, and the brunette looked over her shoulder with an eyeroll. _Doesn't stop her from looking pleased with herself though,_ Alya thought.

"But," Alya continued, "I have some major news."

"More major than your best friend being a klutz by day and superhero running across roofs by night?"

"I'd say about as major."

"Oooo, juicy. Please, do tell," Marinette laid on the bed on her stomach, and propped her chin up to look at Alya. Alya sat on the chaise lounge, crossed her legs and pulled her necklace out from the pocket of her jeans. She started fiddling with it nervously and spinning it around her finger.

"Well, let's just say you aren't the only superhero in the room anymore."

Marinette narrowed her eyes, and then focused in on Alya's necklace. Her eyes widened impossibly large and her jaw dropped.

"Wait, isn't that-Volp-No. way." she scrambled off the bed and towards Alya. She pulled her up and got a closer look at her friend. Something in her eyes must have confirmed Marinette's suspicions because suddenly the girl started jumping up and down and hugged Alya fiercely.

"You're going to be the best miraculous wielder ever. You so deserve this." Alya was surprised to see tears in Marinette's eyes, but the smile on her friend's face assured her that they were of happiness and Marinette was genuinely ecstatic for her. She hugged her back harder.

"How?" Marinette pulled back.

"Master Fu," Alya began. "After you two went off to save Paris, I just...had this feeling that I shouldn't leave yet. So, I didn't and he said he knew as soon as I walked in...That the miraculous...called to me?"

Marinette saw the familiar look of uncertainty in her friend's eyes. It was the look she saw in her own eyes at first, and sometimes still even now, a year later.

"Guess the LadyBlog is going to have some kickass exclusive content, huh?" She tried to move towards the lighter topic, and a bit of her confident best friend shone back through talking about something she _knew_ she rocked at.

"Oh, don't you know it!" Alya smiled, but still fiddled with the necklace in her hands, not wearing it.

Marinette looked at her, her excitement still palpable, and asked, "Have you transformed yet?"

"No," Alya admitted. "I've been nervous."

Marinette pursed her lips.

"Well, there's no time like the present! Want some support from your favorite superhero and her awesome kwami?" Tikki floated into view and gave Alya a tentative wave. When Alya hesitated, Tikki flew closer.

"I've know all the Volpinas, Alya, and a few Volpinos too." Tikki smirked at Alya. "They're always brave, loyal, clever and strong. I've known you for a year now through Marinette and what I've seen the last few days only confirms it. You were meant for this. The miraculous chose you for a reason. Like Master Fu said, it is never wrong. Trust yourself, and trust Trixx." Tikki's eyes got a nostalgic look in them.

"Trixx?" Marinette asked as Tikki came back to rest on her shoulder.

"Just put on the necklace," Tikki cryptically answered, but looked on supportively.

"Ohhkay," Alya tentatively slipped the necklace over her neck, and squawked when a small orange fox appeared.

"Hello, love. Name's Trixx."


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

Before Alya could respond, a joyous shriek came from next to Marinette.

"Trixx!" Tikki zoomed over, tackling the small fox-like kwami. Trixx squealed in response and the two tiny gods collided and went tumbling through the air, a trail of giggles echoing behind them.

"Aw, Mari! Our kwamis are best friends, too!" Alya excitedly clasped her hands in front of her, looking decidedly less nervous that she had a few minutes ago.

"Trixxy, come come. Meet Alya, your new miraculous holder!" Tikki zoomed back over with Trixx in tow and stopped just in front of Alya's face. Tikki floated over to Marinette, burrowing beneath one of her pigtails, as was her custom, and watched them from her shoulder.

Trixx looked Alya over in a maternal way, noticing everything with a sly canniness. Alya shifted a bit nervously under the scrutiny, but held the god's eyes. Finally, a wide grin broke out on Trixx's face and the fox started zipping in circles around the girl and in and out of her curly hair, before colliding into her face with a massive hug.

"You're perfect!" She looked over at Marinette and Tikki and then back at Alya. "Do you need the spiel? I'm a kwami, your necklace is a miraculous, you have powers of illusion. Yadda yadda yadda…" She trailed off.

"Illusions," Alya looked at Marinette. "Like when Lila was akumatised, right?"

"Yeah," Marinette responded hesitantly, not wanting to equate Alya's new miraculous with the girl who had gotten under her skin so much. Although, she did have Lila to thank for bringing her feelings for Chat to the surface. She had been almost as jealous of Volpina flirting with Chat as she had when Lila flirted with Adrien.

"Fantastic! So we can skip the boring part." Trixx got a mischievous look in her eye, pulling Marinette from her reminiscing. "Let's have fun then. Repeat after me: Trixx, let's get foxy!"

Alya repeated the phrase, and nothing happened. Tikki rolled her eyes and looked pointedly at her friend, while Marinette giggled and Alya gave her kwami an amused look.

"Verrry funny."

"Alright alright, for real this time," she winked at Alya. "Say: Trixx: Ears up!"

So Alya repeated her phrase just as Marinette cried "Spots on!"

Then the two friends linked hands and jumped through the window, racing across rooftops towards the sun.

While still mildly uncomfortable with being "chosen" as worthy of this honor and the fact that being a superhero of Paris wasn't exactly his usual brand of inconspicuous, Nino was loving his new kwami. The turtle had the ultimate chill vibe, and he and Wayzz had been getting along like old friends. He'd transformed once, but otherwise was more interested to talk with the kwami, learning what he could about his new powers and past miraculous holders.

"Wait, wait, wait." He held up his hands. "I still don't get why it makes sense for the _turtle kwami_ to have speed powers."

"It's not really speed," Wayzz answered patiently. "It's more like a limited power over time. You can slow down certain situations, so it only _appears_ like you're moving much faster. But you must remember, while you can temporarily slow time-for short bursts of a few seconds-it will drain your power, and you can only stop time once every charge. Like Chat Noir has his cataclysm or Ladybug her Lucky Charm, you can stop time completely once for 30 seconds."

"So what's my catchphrase?"

"Err.." Wayzz muttered something unintelligible.

"What?"

"Turtle time… I've never been a creative being, okay? Although, for the god of creation, I think Tikki's 'Lucky Charm' is pretty lame too." He guffawed, crossing his arms over his chest.

Nino burst into laughter, more at the kwami's sudden annoyance than the weird catchphrase.

"Dude, it _is_ kinda lame! Don't tell that to Mari though," he chuckled. Then having an idea, he added, "Wait, if Tikki is the god of creation, what are you?"

Wayzz smiled, happily passing over his lack of creativity and answering the boy in the academic manner he enjoyed.

"Progression. Each kwami came into being as a new abstract entity entered the world. So Tikki was first; she's creation. Plagg was next, as creation always needs to be balanced with its counterpart, destruction. Nooro and Duusu came after. They're manipulation and emotion, respectively. When humans came into being, they brought with them a tendency to using things, and each other, in ways that hadn't existed before intelligent beings. Trixx was right on the trail of them. She's the god of illusion, but you could also think of her as imagination. When people became less nomadic and started settling together, they started exchanging ideas and a burst of creativity and imagination occurred. Pollen and I came last, and almost at the same time. Pollen is the god of civilization. Soon these groups of people started to take root and settle down in certain areas. Her powers are sometimes seen as similar to emotion, but they're more thought and logic based. She can put ideas into your head, either creating or destroying any kind of "hive mentality", but she can only tell the truth-albeit it tends to be only part of the truth sometimes. She makes you see sense, in a way." He paused, thinking for a moment about how best to explain it. "She get's overlooked a lot, but she is actually a counter-balance to many of the more powerful miraculous. Civilization tends to have a mellowing effect. It takes radical ideas, puts them through a processor of many other minds with very different opinions and points of view, and gives back a more moderate end product. She can wipe away a veil that emotion or manipulation may create, and let you see the truth about something. Oh, and when all the miraculous work together, she gives us the ability to have a hive mind. Not that you can read each other's thoughts," he hurriedly reassured Nino, who suddenly had a stricken look on his face. The prospect of Alya being able to read his mind was terrifying. "But she gives you all the ability to know when the others are transformed and to communicate if you want to. Like a conference call on bluetooth."

"Okay, that sounds handy. What about us?"

"We're progression, that's why you can control time to a degree. You can slow or stop the progression of a battle. That's why Fu was impressed with your calm wisdom, because we are arguably the most powerful yet the most limited." Wayzz looked at Nino, hoping to make him understand. He knew the teen had been hesitant, and still was unsure, of his qualifications for this role. Wayzz had no such reservations. He had what Nino would call a "good vibe" about the boy.

"With civilization came the acceleration of the spread of ideas. Sometimes though, if given more time, those ideas would be looked at twice and some philosphies would have been recognized as flawed or evil before they spun out of control. I'm sure you can think of numerous discriminatory practices and ideals through history that would fit the bill. Humans have learned and evolved from most, and some shaped their very formation, but others were senseless and the world would be a better place without them." He signed, but continued. "That's why your ability to step back and look at things critically and your gut instincts about people and situations is crucial. You need to have the judgement of when to slow progression, and when something needs to play out by itself."

"And that's me?"

Wayzz smiled at his charge, "That's you."


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

When Adrien finally got out of his shoot he immediately grabbed his phone and tried calling Marinette. After the third try, he got a bit worried. Obviously she could be asleep or busy, they had just been in such constant contact the last few weeks, he had grown used to her answering when he called, and vice versa.

Escaping the Gorilla and Natalie, he sent his father's assistant a quick text letting her know that he was walking himself home. She wouldn't like it, but she wouldn't say anything to his father either. He darted down and alley, transforming mid run and vaulted onto the nearest roof. Pulling the screen up on his baton, he saw that Ladybug was on the other side of Paris.

"Huh," he huffed to himself. There was another symbol next to her, almost like there was another miraculous holder there. He gasped, recognizing the orange and white hook shape.

"Lila," he said with not a little annoyance. He had been excited at first to have another superhero join them, and Lila had seemed nice enough in class, but for some reason she had always gotten under Marinette and Ladybug's skin. Finding out later that she was a compulsive liar, Adrien understood why, and that Lila was only trying to come between Chat and Ladybug. Divided, they were weaker. _And Marinette is alone with her now!_

He broke into a sprint towards their locations, and when in range, vaulted across two rooftops to theirs. He dropped into a crouch, rolling into a ball to break his fall, and was up and running in one fluid motion. A few yards away, he came to an abrupt halt. Ladybug was laughing and Volpina smirked with and eyebrow raised in his direction.

He narrowed his eyes on her. She must be using some illusion on Ladybug. He stalked forward, but Ladybug rushed up to him, putting her hands against his chest to stop his prowling.

"No, no Chat it's okay! It's not Lila. It's actually a new miraculous holder."

He paused, glancing down at Ladybug.

"How do you know?"

"I know. Trust me, chaton," she continued, looking at him softly. He all but melted, and realized that she already knew him well enough to realize what her eyes did to him. _That's dangerous,_ he thought, _good thing I like danger._

Marinette looked back at Volpina.

"Can I…?" she trailed off.

"Oh!" Volpina's eye lit up. "Yeah, of course….Um do I just…?" She trailed off, and Chat realized she had never released her transformation before.

"You usually just say the opposite of what you say to transform." He offered helpfully, now curious as to who this person was and why they were so willing to reveal their identity. _Not that I have ever really been against it. Still,_ he thought looking down at the woman he had his arm around, _it_ _turned out pretty okay for me regardless._

Ladybug had also wrapped her arm around his waist and gave him an excited squeeze as she practically vibrated with energy.

"Ohkay. Trixx, Ears down!" A flash of orange emanated from the girl, creating a momentary feeling of being surrounded by the sunset.

When Chat opened his eyes again, his jaw dropped.

"Alya?!"

Ladybug spun so she was in front of him. Jumping up and down with her hands plastered to her cheeks, as if she needed support to keep the smile from exploding off her face, and she screeched, "I know! Right?!"

She ran over, grabbed Alya in another hug and they spun around.

"Sorry for scaring you, sunshine." Alya carefully extracted herself from an exuberant Ladybug and transformed back into Volpina. "We were just practicing some of my new abilities. I was too nervous to transform by myself."

"But, how?"

"After you two left to go save Paris," she smiled and narrowed her eyes playfully at them both. "Fu said he knew the second I walked in that the fox miraculous was destined for me."

"Wow," was all Chat could think to say, and Volpina shrugged. "What did Nino say?"

"He was pretty cool with it," came a voice from behind them. "But then again, I'm also apparently a chosen one."

Chat Noir and Ladybug spun, and Chat was pretty sure that his jaw was going to be eternally stuck in the downward position.

"Nino?"

"You can call me Honu, my man." He walked over and leaned against Volpina, his elbow on her shoulder.

"What do ya think? Volpina and I are looking for some baddies to fight. Is there room on the squad for two more?"

Ladybug looked at Chat, and then back at Volpina and Honu.

"This is the best day ever!" She ran over, arms open wide, and enveloped them both in a huge squeeze. Chat walked over much more slowly, but his smile was no less wide as he let Ladybug pull him into the group hug.

They were all pulled out of their rooftop discussion of various powers by the unmistakable sound of an akuma attack. Ladybug, who had been practically bouncing off the walls before, sobered immediately. She glanced nervously at Volpina and Honu.

"Do you think you guys are ready?"

"Well, it's now or never!" Volpina answered, trying to muster enough enthusiasm to cover her nerves. Ladybug simply nodded and looked at Chat.

"Alright, well, just follow us, and if it gets too overwhelming-"

"Oh, we'll hide," Honu assured her, with a not so assured sounding laugh himself.

"Okay," and, without looking, she and Chat jumped off the roof.

"I don't think I'll ever get used to that," Volpina muttered, conjuring her board that allowed her to hover, and hauling Honu aboard as they floated carefully towards the ground.

"We have to talk to him, Chat." Volpina overheard Ladybug say to Chat as they walked away from the group of reporters who swarmed them after the attack.

"I know," he sighed. His hand went to reach for hers, but one glance back at the reporters and he pretended to reach up and scratch his head instead.

"Talk to who?" Volpina sidled up next to them. The battle had, thankfully, been relatively simple. It was twin akuma victims, which may have been more difficult before, but with all of their combined powers, it was over pretty quickly. The Doppelgangers had the power to duplicate people, causing mass confusion when people were suddenly seeing double, and were influencing the copycats to do their bidding. Together, Chat and Volpina were able to distract them while Honu and Ladybug went from behind, snatching the mirror they both held and purifying it.

The reception of Volpina and Honu had gone better than expected, probably aided by the fact that neither of them had made any very obvious mistakes. There was a bit of confusion as to who the new superheroes were, but the four fell into an effortless rhythm, and the public couldn't help but love the new additions.

"My father," Chat muttered towards her, cognisant of all the ears still surrounding them, as Honu walked over, finally free of the reporters.

Volpina's ears perked up, and she tried to look up at them, still not used to them responding to her like that. Chat smirked over her and wiggled his own ears. Ladybug rolled her eyes at him.

"Show-off," she bumped his hip with hers. "But any decision can wait until tomorrow, yeah?" She asked getting back on topic. Chat hesitated, weighing his desire to know with his need to take a break. If yesterday was any indication, he was mentally exhausted, and if he was going to have to confront his father, he needed another day at least before he wanted to even think about it.

"Yeah, tomorrow."

Ladybug smiled. Fist-bumping Honu and giving Volpina a brief hug, she leaned over to kiss Chat, stopping at the last second.

"This will take some getting used to," she scrunched up her face. Still leaning in, she flicked his bell. "See you later, Kitty."

He winked and gave her his signature Chat smirk as she threw her yoyo and swung away.


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

"Oh my god, Adrien," Plagg rasped in a loud whisper. He had been watching the blonde pace in an alley a few blocks from Marinette's parents' bakery for almost twenty minutes now. "Why are you so nervous? You've spent every waking hour with this girl for the last week. And not a few non-waking hours too," he added with a grin in Adrien's direction.

Momentarily pausing his pacing, Adrien just glared at him. "Not helpful, Plagg."

"Whatever," he gave up on the pep-talk. Adrien was being ridiculous anyway. So over-dramatic. "Feed me," he commanded. "Marinette always feeds me," he whined, floating on his back, and draping an arm over his eyes. His charge did learn his dramatic tendencies from the best, after all.

Adrien continued to worry nervously with the bouquet of flowers he had bought, but stopped pacing. _Progress, I guess,_ thought Plagg.

Marinette had told him to come over later if he felt up to it. She probably expected Chat to show up in her window, but Ardien didn't feel right being there in secret again without officially meeting her parents. He'd run into them before, sure, but it was different now. He knew how much Tom and Sabine meant to Marinette, so he wanted to do this right: make a good impression. He had enough familial issues for the two of them, he wasn't ever going to give her parents a reason to dislike him and cause problems for her.

He took a deep breath. "Okay, let's do this." He opened his jacket for Plagg, who gratefully zoomed in, the promise of going towards food all he needed to entice him. Adrien walked as self-assuredly as he could muster, out of the alley and turned towards the lights of the bakery which he could just about make out in the distance.

Marinette looked up from her latest design, a patchwork of muslin hanging off a mannequin that would act as a template for the formal dress she was creating for Alya. Nino hadn't asked her yet, but Marinette went ahead and got started. It was only a matter of time, and she had been inspired that morning, watching her best friend transform. Orange really was Alya's color: warm but also firey. She smiled imagining Nino seeing her in it, and her thoughts drifted to another boy, whose color was most certainly green. A vibrant peridot...

"Marinette?" her dad's voice called her from downstairs. She looked at the clock, worried that she had gotten so caught up that she forgot to go help with dinner. Her parents would often leave her to her designs and only call her when the food was ready, but she liked being with them when they cooked. The kitchen was their natural habitat, and she loved to be in their universe, teasing each other and her dad spouting horribly perfect cooking puns. She rolled her eyes, but smiled. They were her perfect couple.

The clock said it was only quarter to 6.

"Hmm," she said to herself. She still had an hour. "What is it, Papa?"

"You have a visitor!" Her dad practically squealed, and her brows furrowed further. _What is he up to?_ Her dad was a notorious prankster in the house. She opened the hatch and descended into the living room cautiously. Almost at the bottom of the stairs, she spotted him. Standing next to her mother and talking with an open expression on his face. To anyone else he would seem completely at ease, but she noticed the nervous fidget in his hands.

"Adrien!" she squeaked in surprise, and promptly missed the last two stairs, narrowly avoiding falling on her face by catching the bannister. He rushed over to help her. Once upright, he glanced back nervously at her parents.

"We've invited Adrien to dinner!" Sabine excitedly informed Marinette. "Here dear, put these in some water for me, would you?" she handed Marinette a large bouquet of wildflowers. She looked at Adrien, waiting until her mother had her back turned and mouthed 'Suck-up' to him. He blushed and shrugged. She rolled her eyes, still smiling, and walked past him into the kitchen where her parents were already busying themselves with dinner preparations. He was a surprise, but definitely not unwelcome.

"Afraid to get your hands dirty, pretty boy?" She called over her shoulder to him.

"Never," he immediately responded, a Chat-like smirk gracing his handsome face. He looked relieved. Maybe he had been worried she would be angry that he showed up unannounced. _Silly Kitty,_ she shook her head.

"Then what are you waiting for? Let's make dinner." She laughed as he practically scampered after her, taking the flowers and vase she had found and kissing her cheek quickly before going over to fill it up with water. Marinette blushed prettily and smiled. Looking over to make sure her parents' backs were turned, she caught her mom's eye. Sabine simply winked at her, delighted beyond words for her daughter's happiness and that Adrien seemed to be such a gentleman.

Next to her, Tom started humming a wedding march under his breath. "Tom!" she whispered to him, nudging him with her hip. He smiled at her and wiggled his eyebrows. She couldn't help but smile back. Looking over at the two teens who were preparing the vegetables in an easy rhythm, she found herself not at all averse to the idea.

Adrien was in love with the Dupain-Cheng family. Sabine had just made him the best meal of his life, and Tom had him beat for sure when it came to puns. Marinette perhaps laughed a little too loudly when he lost the impromptu pun competition her dad had started, and only he knew why. This burly yet gentle baker had bested Chat Noir in his own forte: puns.

He was washing dishes with Tom, enjoying the calm monotony of it, and just basking in the warmth of the household. Glancing covertly over at Marinette who was packing up the leftovers with her mother, he realized quite forcefully that it wasn't only the Dupain-Cheng family that he was in love with. It had taken some time to converge this generous and beautiful, if not sometimes bumbling, girl with the confident force that was Ladybug. However, the more he knew her, the more he realized they were very obviously one person. Just like different parts of his personality shone through depending on if he was Adrien or Chat, it was the same for Marinette. He thought he was in love with Ladybug, and he still was, but Ladybug was only part of what made up Marinette. If he hadn't been so infatuated with the masked hero, maybe he would have paid more attention to the incredible girl right behind him everyday in class. He cursed himself for being so blind, but couldn't come to regret the path that led them here. Now he knew all of her. She was confident, and bold, and brave, and creative, and beautiful, and kind. She was Ladybug and she was Marinette. His Lady.

Tom nudged him, handing him a dish to dry, and looked at him with an amused expression. Adrien realized he had been staring at Marinette, and smiling.

"Sorry," he muttered ducking his head a bit.

"Never apologize for that, my boy." He responded earnestly.

He smiled at the man, touched by his easy acceptance and his kindness the entire night. He wasn't going to lie, Marinette's father looked imposing, and he had been a little nervous to show up in a way that more or less declared his attentions towards Tom's only child and daughter. While he was sure Tom would be a force to be reckoned with if someone hurt Marinette, the man had been nothing but welcoming to Adrien, and as Adrien had no plans of ever doing anything other than love his daughter-hopefully for the rest of their lives-he didn't need to worry about the possibility of Tom's hidden wrath.

He pondered that thought as he finished drying the last dish, and looked quickly back over at Marinette. He _could_ picture growing old with her. It seemed ridiculous even to him. They had only _really_ known each other for a few weeks, but he had known her in pieces for over a year, and loved a part of her for the entirety of that time already. _So maybe not so crazy,_ he thought hopefully.

One glance at the clock told him it was probably time to leave. It was almost 10, and the last thing he wanted to do was overstay his welcome. Still, he was reluctant to go.

Tom must have seen something that pointed to this on his face. He clapped one large hand on the boy's shoulder.

"You're welcome anytime, son. Don't be a stranger." He winked at Adrien, and he felt as if they were rooting for him and Marinette almost as much as he was.

"Thank you, sir."

"Tom!" Marinette's dad shouted, pretending to be offended.

"Tom, then. Really, thank you both for dinner. It was delicious."

"We hope to see you soon, Adrien." Sabine walked towards them, followed closely by Marinette.

"I'll walk you out." Marinette grabbed his hand as he waved to her parents with the other and pulled him out the door and down the steps. Stopping in front of the entrance to the bakery, she turned sharply and kissed him.

Surprised, Adrien was definitely not displeased. Grabbing her waist with one hand he pulled her closer and cradled her head with his other. Her arms snaked up around his neck and burrowed into his hair before retreating as she pulled back and rested her forehead against his chin catching her breath. She ducked her head to nestle under his chin and he wrapped both arms around her. He had no idea what he did to deserve such a gift, but wasn't about to speak and shatter the bubble they seemed to be in.

"They loved you," her voice vibrated against his chest. "While some forewarning, would have been appreciated," she trailed off and pulled back, narrowing her eyes at him.

"I'll be sure to send my 'I'm coming over to meet the parents' smoke signal next time," he remarked and nodded seriously. She slapped his chest lightly, the ghost of a smile on her lips.

"Seriously, though. Thank you." She said earnestly, looking up at him with a peculiar look in her eyes.

"For what?"

"For coming over. For getting to know them. For being you."

"Sorry for surprising you, but I know they're important to you, and I don't know exactly what we are. I know it's kinda happening quickly, whatever this is, but I wanted them to know me so I could, I don't know… court you?" He cut off his babbling and Marinette looked amused.

"Kitty, consider me courted." She gave him another kiss, before untangling herself from him reluctantly and beginning to walk away. "Oh and chaton?" She turned around and stared him down while still walking backwards, her Ladybug grace bursting out with this spurt of confidence. "As for 'what we are', you're my boyfriend. Does that work for you?"

"That's _paw_ -sitively _purr_ -fect, M'Lady," he winked at her and smiled widely.

She giggled, but he caught a touch of blush spread across her cheeks in the low light spilling out from the bakery.

"Sweet dreams, Bugaboo," he called, just before she closed the door.

"Sweet dreams, Adrien." She slipped inside and shut the lights off before making her way back to the warmth of her family home. Adrien just stared after her.

He turned to walk away and heard Plagg start to hum the wedding march from inside his jacket.

"Oh, shut up, Plagg," he says, but without force. He feels the kwami chortle, and he continued down the road, finding himself not at all averse to that future.


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

The next morning, Alya met Marinette in the bakery before they walked over to meet the boys in the park. Grabbing a few danishes and Adrien's favorite, a chocolate croissant, Marinette kissed her parents goodbye and the two girls started south down the street.

Halfway to the park, they ran into Adrien and Nino who had also met up that morning. Buoyed by the night before, Adrien ran up to Marinette and enveloped her in a massive hug, spinning her around and off her feet.

"Adrien! You'll smoosh the croissants!"

"Chocolate?" he inquired, putting her down gently.

"Of course," she rolled her eyes, but laughed at his childlike enthusiasm.

"You're the best," he kissed her cheek and took the bag over to Nino to share his loot. They walked ahead, and Marinette waited for Alya to catch up.

"That seems to be going well," she remarked with a sly grin at her friend. "Remember when you were afraid to talk to him." She elbows Marinette lightly in the ribs. "Now, you're practically official!"

"Not just 'practically'."

"What?! When? How?" She hits Marinette, and the girl notices through a sharp pain that Alya definitely hadn't realized how much stronger the miraculous had made her, even not transformed, yet.

"After he met my parents last night."

"Wait, wait wait," Alya stops dead in her tracks, and spins Marinette to face her. "He came over last night. He met your parents. AND you apparently made your relationship official. WHY HAVE WE BEEN WALKING IN SILENCE FOR THE LAST 15 MINUTES! GIRL, SPILL!"

Adrien glanced back hearing Alya's shrill squeal and noticed the girl bouncing up and down and an exasperated but happy look on Marinette's face. _Guess she told her the good news_ , he smiled to himself. Nino looked over at him.

"You seem happy, man."

"Do I?" Adrien was surprised by his own curiosity. He thought he'd always put on a good facade at school. He was a model, he should be able to portray emotion with his face after all. That's not to say that Adrien had spent the whole year unhappy. There were just moments where the grief over the loss of him mom hit him. It came in waves, but he thought he did a good job of hiding that part of his life from everyone. Apparently not.

"It's good man. I mean, you always seem happy, but there's usually a hint of sadness always just lurking in the background. And I don't blame you, your family situation is rough, and everything with your mom…" He trailed off. "What I mean to say, is you seem happier than you did, and I'm glad."

Adrien was touched, and again surprised by Nino's perception. He _was_ happier. It's wasn't all because of Marinette, but their relationship was definitely a part of it. He had less lies in his life now that there wasn't secrets between him and his Lady, he was closer than ever to finding his mother and he was finally starting to understand his father's behavior towards him so he could stop blaming himself for it. He looked back over to Nino and realized he felt a lot closer to his friends too. He'd finally let them into his life completely, and they had been more supportive and loving than he could have ever hoped for.

"I am happy."

"Good," he nodded to him, and they continued on in companionable silence, munching on their pastries.

What neither of them wanted to bring up was the reason they had all met that morning, so contrary to Adrien's newfound happiness yet the main player in its continuation. They needed to come up with a plan to confront Hawkmoth, his father.

Alya, ever prepared, had brought a mini-whiteboard to the park so they could map out their "game plan."

"You guys have always worked as a team and rolled with the punches as they happened, which until recently has worked. But now, there are four of us, and I have a feeling this plan is going to be a bit more involved than in the past." She rolled out the malleable, glossy board onto the picnic table between the four of them. Nino, to her left, put a weight on his corner and Marinette and Adrien did the same on their side of the table.

"So first we have to decide when. We could just confront Mr. Agreste, but then we risk him just denying the whole thing. I think we should go during an akuma attack, when he is more likely to be transformed as Hawkmoth, and use the element of surprise."

"During an akuma attack? But who will cleanse the victim?"

"That's why we need to split up. I say Marinette and I take care of the akumatised victim, while Adrien and Nino make for the Agreste mansion. We'll handle our situation as quickly as possible and then meet you there."

"Ohkay," Arien drew out, extremely uncomfortable not being with Marinette during a battle, but acknowledging the merit in Alya's plan.

"What do we do when we get to my place?"

"I say you corner your father when you find him as Chat Noir, Nino can help you if he tries to make a run for it, and make him talk. "

"How'll we do that?" Nino asked, looking up from the white board where he had been writing a few bullet points and a timeline based on Alya's plan.

"Well, try to get him to talk, but if he's not budging, or if things get dicey, we'll have to tell him."

"Tell him what?" Adrien still wasn't getting how just talking to his father would achieve anything, and he had a year of trial runs to prove it.

"Everything. Tell him you know about the blackmail, about your mom, about this ex-friend and who he really is. If we have any hope of helping your mom, we need Gabriel on our side. "

"No offense Alya, but I doubt he'll believe anything Chat Noir says. He'll be too busy trying to steal our miraculous, like he has been for the last year. Having it so close within reach is going to be too tempting."

"That's why you're going to need to surprise him and use our secret weapon."

"Which is?"

"You."


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

Adrien was so not looking forward to the plan.

" _That's why you're going to need to surprise him and use our secret weapon."_

 _"Which is?"_

 _"You."_

 _He blinked at her. "Excuse me?"_

 _"You need to release your transformation in front of your father. Show him that you're Chat Noir and hopefully that will shock him enough to drop any act. Also, he's not going to kill_ **you** _and he's much more likely to believe everything you say when he sees his own son standing in front of him."_

 _Marinette grabbed his hand under the table and he turned to look at her._

 _"It's a good idea, chaton."_

 _"I know, I just wish it weren't"_

He continued walking home. They had mapped out the other details during the course of the morning. Now, almost two hours later, Adrien was exhausted and just wanted a nap. They would wait until the fourth akumatised victim they fought together. That would give Alya and Nino some time to work with their powers, and Adrien some time to figure out what the hell he was going to say when he confronted his father.

It wasn't like he had never thought about it. He had rehearsed versions of it in his head since they found all this out. It wasn't a hypothetical anymore, and if he wanted to make his father listen, and ,per Alya's plan, have him work with them, then he could not speak in anger. He needed to come up with a reasonable and logical way to talk to him with just enough emotion to make his father see him as his son, and not someone who just lived in his house.

Adrien had seen the smallest amount of that paternal emotion peak out for the first time in a long time when Marinette had visited. He was still shocked by the tender emotion with which Gabriel had regarded them both, and he had no doubt it had to do with Marinette. He had always thought Ladybug's smile was like his mom's, but the more and more he was around Marinette he realized it wasn't the way her smile looked, but the emotions she emanated with it. It was warm and welcoming and safe. She had the kind of soul that echoed his mother's. Maybe his father had responded to that.

He wished Marinette could come with him, and maybe she could use that much stronger superpower on his father, but the plan had to be as it was. She needed to be there to cleanse the akuma, so he would just have to hope that they were able to do it quickly.

He walked into his empty house and into his room. Closing the door behind him, he opened his jacket for Plagg and got some camembert out of his mini fridge. He sat down at his desk grabbing a piece of paper and tried to brainstorm ideas. Plagg, about to moan about how long it took to be fed, looked at his charge and stopped himself. He ate a few pieces of cheese, and then went to sit on Adrien's head, falling into the plush cushion of his unkempt hair, and hoping his presence would comfort Adrien, even a little bit.

The next week at school was tense to say the least. The four had fought two more akumas, luckily only one during school hours, because the entire front two rows on the one side of the classroom suddenly clearing out looked a little more than suspicious. They'd eventually have to figure that predicament out, but currently the only thought on their minds was the next battle. It would be the fourth they fought together, and it would be when they enacted their plan. Each of the four jumped at every little sound outside, and were starting to get looks from Ms. Bustier.

"I don't know what I'm dreading worse: the actual plan or how much longer it is going to be before another attack." Nino slumped onto the ground in the park where they met for lunch on Friday.

"If we keep this up much longer someone is going to notice something is going on. We're all fidgeting and being clumsy every time something that even remotely sounds like an akuma attack happens. Someone might start asking questions." Marinette groaned, cupping her head in her hands and leaning her elbows against her knees to keep her head upright.

"Or think you're rubbing off on us," Adrien sat next to her and leaning back against the tree, commenting on her known klutz status.

"Thank you," she looked at him wryly, but didn't have the energy to actually be angry. She was too tired. They were all too tired.

"We need to get some sleep, or we'll all be useless when it actually does happen." Alya piped in, opening her bag to get her lunch.

Adrien looked over at Marinette, already nodding off and swaying dangerously towards the ground.

"Forget lunch," he said, poking Marinette to wake her up. "We need naptime. Bugaboo, come here." He propped his back against the tree and and pulled Marinette between his knees and against his chest. Too tired to care that they were in public and no one else in school really knew that Adrien and she were seeing each other, Marinette turned and rested against the strong wall of Adrien's chest and was asleep almost immediately.

Alya looked over, amused, but well-aware of Marinette's true superpower of falling asleep anywhere with little-to-no notice. They had a two hour break, so she laid down in the grass herself, enjoying the warm pulse of the sun's rays against her face and the cool grass at her back. Nino stretched out next to her, his arm laying just against hers.


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

An explosion sounded, reverberating inside Marinette's head as she dodged some debris sailing in the air in the middle of an akuma attack. She looked around, assessing the situation quickly and looking for her partner. _Where is he?_ she thought with agitation. She couldn't wait any longer and ran towards the source of the destruction; he would just have to catch up.

Finally reaching what seemed to be the epicenter, she choked on a gasp, all the air and feeling leaving her body. There, strung up to the Eiffel tower, were Chat, Volpina and Honu.

"No!" she screamed, but it came out as no more than a hoarse whisper. Her eyes scanned upward and she saw Hawkmoth. A red hot fire of betrayal shot through her veins.

"You, " she sobbed. "You were supposed to help us. I thought you were on our side!"

"Little bug," he looked down on her, "How naive are you?"

Ladybug had been inching closer and closer, and now she started to notice something was different about Hawkmoth. She heard a groan from behind her, and flicked her eyes in that direction to see Gabriel Agreste, semi-conscious on the ground, Adela tied up and unmoving next to him.

"No," she gasped, and ran over to untie Adela, but she couldn't find a pulse. "No, no, no , no, no." She was weeping now, and she could vaguely hear Chat calling her name in the distance.

"No, Chat, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

"Little bug, so easily crushed. Bugs who fly so close to the light get burned. I am fire, Marinette. Did you and your little friends really think you had a chance?" he cackled loudly, and Chat was now shouting her name, except he was calling her Marinette, and his voice was coming from behind her.

"Chat?" she turned, and suddenly the scene dissolved into blackness as she came to.

Opening her eyes slowly, she looked up and saw Adrien looking down at her worriedly.

"Are you okay? I think you were having a nightmare."

"Nightmare, yeah." It felt more like a warning or a vision, but she wasn't even going to get into that. She refused to believe that there was a possibility that led them down that road.

"Bugaboo?" Adrien looked worried again.

"No, no, I'm alright," she said sitting up and immediately missing his warmth. She looked around and noticed how much the sky had darkened.

"What?"

"Yeah," Adrien rubbed the back of his head with his hand, "Guess we should have set an alarm or something?"

"At least we didn't have a test or project. Just add it to my list of absences," she sighed, envious of his modeling job that gave him cover for missing class so often.

"You are racking those up, aren't you?" He smiled and chuckled at her glare.

"Not all of us have a convenient alibi for our extra-curricular superhero-ing."

"I'll be your alibi. I can tell them you're my personal stylist. It'll even look good on your applications to design school. 'Personal stylist to famous model Adrien Agreste'." He held his hands up as if framing the headline news.

"Famous model, huh?" She quirked and eyebrow.

"Kinda famous?" She just looked at him. "Well-known?" He tried again, but she kept her face straight.

"My girlfriend thinks I'm hot?" He said at last. She smirked, and then laughed outright.

"Well, there's no denying that one, is there?" She continued to laugh at him. A chat-like grin graced his face, and he leaned over to catch her laughing lips with his.

Just then, Alya picked the perfect moment to stretch and wake up from where she had been curled up on Nino's chest.

"Get a room, you two," she said mid-yawn, reaching her hands above her head in a feline stretch. "What?" She looked around, noticing as Marinette did, the lateness of the hour. "Guess we missed the rest of school," she sighed, nudging Nino to wake up.

They all started to pack up their belongings, when and unmistakeable crash sounded in the distance and they all froze.

"I guess it's good that we're all well-rested?" Marinette tried to put a positive spin on it, but they knew now was the time, and Adrien felt adrenaline start to course through his body.

Stashing their stuff in some bushes, they all hid and transformed. Chat hesitated, and they all looked to him for their cue. This was his life after all. He couldn't stay in this stasis of inaction forever, but there was no promise that everything wouldn't be irrevocably changed after what they were planning to do. Ladybug turned and placed both her hand on his cheeks, forcing him to look at her.

"It's going to be okay. You can do this." She kissed him briefly. When she pulled back, his eyes were still closed, as if he were gathering courage or trying to absorb some of her luck as his own. When his eyes did open, they were determined.

He gave her a signature wink, kissed her on the cheek and then nodded to Honu. Honu turned to Volpina, gave her a brief hug and fist pumped Ladybug before they ran their separate directions, each their own kind of dangerous.

Ladybug kept glancing back over her shoulder, even though the boys were long out of sight, having run in the opposite direction of them. Absentmindedly, she realized this was not ideal. If they were able to subdue the akuma quickly, this still meant that there was going to be a substantial distance between them and the Agreste mansion.

"Stop looking," Volpina shouted from next to her as they ran across a rooftop nearing the area the sounds had come from. "We can't help them right now. We just have to trust them and do what we need to."

"You're right. I know you're right." She looked over at her friend, who seemed completely comfortable in this new skin that she inhabited, as if she were born for it. "Who's the veteran superhero here?" She asked with a smirk.

Volpina laughed throwing her head back in a carefree moment. Then they rounded a tall building and reality set back in. Ducking under the ledge of an adjacent building, they peered over at the akuma victim. They looked down at what can only be described as a hippie on steroids. Clad in hemp and organic cotton digs and more than a little tie-dye, she was reigning terror against litterers and causing trees to break through pavement and overtake buildings, creating a wild canopy in the middle of the Parisian streets. It was a chaotic kind of beautiful. Ladybug almost didn't want to stop her.

"I like her," Volpina reflected her thoughts. "I guess we can't let her continue though." She sighed.

"No, if nothing else, she's still being controlled; so we have to give her her free will back." Ladybug cocked her head and looked closer at the mayhem below them. "And...is she turning the litterers into the trees?"

Volpina giggled from next to her, and Ladybug couldn't stop the smile from flickering over her face. Remembering that on the other side of the city, Chat and Honu were facing a less than amusing opponent, she re-focused.

"Okay, ready, Volpina?"

"Always, Ladybug."

And they jumped.


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27

Chat and Honu climbed through the open window into his room. They paused, Chat seeming to collect himself.

"So, what now?" Honu asked hesitantly, he had been silent the entire ride over, not wanting to intrude on Chat's thoughts. He knew how hard what they were going to do next would be.

"I think he's in the attic." Chat sighed and his shoulder slumped. "I mean, I haven't checked. I didn't want to go snooping and accidentally stumble upon him transformed before we were all ready, but it's the only place that makes sense. We know he has a "lair" or whatever, and that's the only place that it could be that I don't ever go to."

"Alright, boss. Which way?"

"There's a spiral staircase outside his office that leads into his studio. There's a hatch in there that has access to the attic. If not, we could go through from the window outside?"

"Nah, let's use the hatch. Hopefully that'll be more discreet."

"Discreet, right," Chat muttered, his nerves coming back in full-force. Was this the right way to handle it? Should it be now? Should it be him? Did is have to be him?

The answer to all over the above was, of course, a resounding yes, but Chat was still nervous. Alya's plan was well thought out and logical, but his part of the plan wasn't so well-executed. His speech to his father that he was supposed to have prepared didn't exist. He sat down more than a dozen times to write it. Marinette had even tried to help him, but she didn't really know his father or his parents, so she couldn't help with the most important part: the emotion. Somehow Chat was supposed to compose this eloquent speech to deliver to a man he barely recognized anymore. He had never been an exceptionally warm man-which they learned was more due to fear than a true indifference or lack of love for his son, something that Adrien was still trying to process and reconcile with the man he knew-but the last year he had been almost completely indifferent and cold to Adrien. There were spurts of acting like a real father, seemingly for the look of it, and then even rarer occurrences of genuine affection, but the steady relationship Adrien had with his father before his mother disappeared was gone. While not warm, it was tepid, but always supportive and stable. That was the parent he knew, and the one he knew how to talk to, but his father had transformed, and he wasn't talking about his miraculous. He knew now that it was due to the blackmail and fear over his mother's kidnapping, but that made it impossibly harder to figure out what to say to him. What do you say to a man so affected by his wife's disappearance that he completely shuts himself off from his son for fear of his safety as well and agrees to terrorize a city in exchange for the safety of them both?

Chat shook his head and started to lead Honu to the staircase. No, he hadn't written anything. He couldn't. He was going to have to work on emotion, and hope there was enough of his father left in this shell of a man to recognize that they wanted to help and that there was another way. Otherwise, he had no idea what they would do.

Hawkmoth cursed under his breath, the moonlight glinting dangerously of the chrome of his helmet. He had been under direct instruction that today's akuma was to be far more terrifying than the ones in the past. He had no idea what Germain was planning, nor did he want to, but apparently it hinged on some widespread panic. As it was, Chat Noir and Ladybug's new partners were making his akumas seem easier and easier to defeat. Then, all day, Paris seemed to move along in a state of bliss. Not even a spout of road rage anywhere in the city for him to manipulate. It was infuriating.

Up until now, a historic affection for Adela had kept Germain from truly harming her, but the missives had become increasingly more threatening and hostile. Adrien's name had come up more and more, too. The boy had been spending a lot of time with his friends lately, and sneaking out of his room more than in the past, giving Gabriel a heart-attack every time he realized he wasn't home. He knew the past year had been as hard on Adrien as himself, even if he didn't know the entirety of what was going on. He had always been lenient with Adrien's escapades when he was supposed to be sleeping or studying in his room. His life was strict and his son needed a bit of rebellion, but the more Germain mentioned "the boy" or "her dear son", the more Gabriel was tempted to lock the door and throw away the key. Barricade himself and Adrien in the house and never leave again. Though, that would make his son hate him even more.

He sighed, and wiped a hand across his face. A raging environmentalist probably didn't qualify as "terrifying", though she had managed to cause much more destruction than he anticipated because Chat Noir and Honu were mysteriously absent from the battle. Ladybug and Volpina were without a doubt capable without them, of course. It just took a bit longer than it had recently.

He smiled to himself at a memory, remembering his Ladybug and Volpina. They had both willingly given up their miraculous, thankfully. Already in their thirties and years more experienced with their miraculous when he and Adela were chosen as teenagers, they had both since moved on with their lives. Much unlike it was now, when Chat Noir and Ladybug were practically celebrities, in their time, they were very much in the shadows. Protecting when they could, and at the ready if needed, but inconspicuous. It was partly his fault that the miraculous holders were no longer so incognito. Still, it gave him welcome nostalgia to see the two work together and he wondered how Margueritte and Adeline were. He knew Adela kept in touch with them, but the last time he really spoke to them was their wedding, and that was almost twenty years ago now…

He looked down at his hands, covered with the magical suit of his miraculous, and wondered for not the first time if it was time to give it up. He and Adela really should have passed it on years ago, but Fu never asked, and with the threat that shadowed their life, they both felt better with their miraculous and kwamis close. That didn't make them invulnerable of course. Adela's situation aside, he still vividly remembered the attack that took Hugo's life.

The vibrant man had been a sort of mentor to Gabriel the moment they'd met. He was their Chat Noir, and while more subdued than the somewhat flashy style of the current miraculous holder, he still had the lightness of heart and compassionate disposition that is ideal for the wielder of destruction.

The two had been patrolling together, Gabriel still relatively new to using his miraculous to fight crime. He was only ever in Paris during the school year, so although he'd been with Nooro for 4 months, he'd been in Avignon for the summer. Still on a high from the start of the school year, and being back in Paris and using his new powers, he was clumsy. Hugo had come to visit him a few times over the summer. He was present when Gabriel was given the miraculous the year before, and was trying to show him the ropes a bit. Gabriel only realized later that Hugo took such an interest and came to Avignon because both he and Adela had been chosen at the same time. Over the summer visits, he told Gabriel all about his adventures as Chat Noir, and gave him an exhaustive history of the miraculous.

 _"The rest of us were just thrown into it."_ he had told Gabriel one night _. "I asked Fu if we could do a little experiment. I asked to train you, or at least tell you what the hell was going on!"_ He laughed in his robust way that seemed to make the room vibrate with warmth, and nudged Gabriel like an old friend.

Gabriel was so used to their brotherly banter and fun over the summer, he was ignorant to the real danger of the job they had to do. It was his ignorance that lead to Hugo's death that night, and he'd never been able to forgive himself.

There was a reason he specifically picked non-violent people to akumatise. Germain demanded fear. Fine. He would do what he had to in order to protect his own, but he would never again allow harm to come to another miraculous holder.

He opened his eyes and looked up. As if conjured by his reminiscence, Chat Noir stood before him.

"Hugo?" he whispered, voice thick with emotion.


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28

"Hugo?" Hawkmoth whispered, his visible face contorted with some emotion Chat couldn't place. Grief? No, Hope.

Chat was shocked, but then realized that this could be a perfect opportunity. He had been most worried about breaking the shell his father tended to encase himself in, but whatever was going on with Hawkmoth clearly had his guard down. He stepped forward, holding his hands out in what he hoped was a calming manner.

"No, Gabriel," he said, the part of his brain that wasn't completely submersed in the bizarreness of his situation already noting how weird it was to call his father by his given name.

Hawkmoth's eyes darted from Chat to the open hatch behind him to Honu standing just to his left. Chat saw the shutters start to close in his eyes, and took another step forward.

"Gabriel, please we know, and we want to help." His face flashed in surprise again. Hopefully if Chat could keep him off-guard this might work.

"What are you doing here? How do you know who I am?" His words were harsh, but Chat didn't feel any force behind them. He was starting to fully realize how broken this last year had made his father.

"We know who you are, we know what's happened to Adela, and we want to help. We have a plan-"

"You're children," Hawkmoth scoffed. "Did Fu put you up to this? I tried to keep him out of it, but he did always choose them young. So naive at that age. So innocent..." Hawkmoth seemed to trail back into a memory.

"We are young," Chat nodded moving closer to his father until he was right in front of him. "We are young, and perhaps we are naive of some things, but we know what's been going on now. What you've been going through all these years, and we're going to get Adela back. We know about Germain."

Hawkmoth looked up sharply at Chat, his eyes boring into his. "How? Fu knows nothing of that."

"We weren't sent by Fu. He helped us with some details, but he didn't tell us who you were. He didn't give up your identity to us, if that's what you think." Chat stared at his father, thinking carefully about what he would say next. He took a deep breath.

"We know about Germain, but we don't know why. We don't know him like you do. We need your help." Chat paused, and held his breath, waiting as his father deliberated.

"Why would you want to help me? I've created panic. I've probably have caused you hell this past year, too. I know Fu picks people who are admirable, but surely you aren't naive enough to trust me." A sneer came back to Hawkmoth's face, but it was more self-deprecating than pointed at Chat.

"You've been under tremendous stress. Your wife is being held as leverage," Chat paused, and tentatively lifted a hand to rest it on his father's shoulder. "Anyone would have done the same, backed into a corner."

Hawkmoth's expression seemed to soften looking at the earnest expression on Chat's face, but then it flickered to fear and he took a step back. Chat's hand fell from his shoulder, and dropped lifelessly to his side.

"No, you need to leave now. You don't understand. It's dangerous here. For you both," He spared a glance to Honu. "I've done my best to play my part without harming any of you. You're right, I'm not a monster, but they have Adela, and they've started threatening Adrien too. I can't-I can't loose my boy too. I won't." He looked past Chat, a fire in his eyes and vehemence in his voice. Chat felt his eyes start to tear up listening to his father, and he felt his shoulders start to shake under unshed tears. A part of him always knew that his father loved him, but he'd never felt it as much as just then.

"Please," he said hoarsely, trying to keep the tears at bay.

"Why do you care?" Hawkmoth took another step towards him and Chat opened his mouth to speak, but his eyes caught Ladybug and Volpina ascending through the hatch. Hawkmoth followed his gaze, and took two steps back, immediately on the defensive.

"This was a trap!" he accused, looking back at Chat in betrayal, and maybe a hint of relief too.

"No!" Chat shouted, throwing his hands up. Hawkmoth's eyes started to glow as he summoned his power. "No, Gabriel, please! I swear, we want to help! I swear!"

"Why should I believe you?" He demanded, the glow not dimming.

"Because! Plagg, claws in!" A bright green light lit up the room as Chat Noir fell away. "Because, "Adrien said again. "I'm your son."


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29

"I'm your son." Adrien's words echoed through the room.

Ladybug looked at Volpina, and both grimaced at each other. They had sprinted as fast as they could to the Agreste mansion, and had tried to enter the room inconspicuously. They both hoped it was going well, and were going to stay outside until there was trouble, but when they showed up Ladybug immediately heard Adrien's voice plead "Please!". His voice sounded thick with tears and emotion, and fearing the worst, both girls ran up into the room.

Turns out, their timing could have been better.

Now, Adrien stood in front of his father, and Hawkmoth just kept on blinking, as if suddenly he would disappear.

"Adrien? You're-You're Chat Noir?"

"It's me, Papa."

In a rush, Hawkmoth moved towards Adrien and Ladybug made a move towards them, but Volpina held her back. She shook her head, and had a sad smile on her face. Ladybug looked back over and saw Hawkmoth embracing his son, cradling his head against his shoulder. Both men's bodies wracked with sobs, and Ladybug had the feeling that she should look away. Hawkmoth pulled back, wiping his eyes, but keeping a hand on Adrien's shoulder.

"How-How-" Hawkmoth started, but paused to collect himself.

"How was I chosen?" Adrien finished, bashful.

"Obviously not. It's clear why you were chosen. Your mother raised you right. You're a good son and a good person, Adrien." If Ladybug wasn't mistaken, her boyfriend blushed under the praise, and she smiled at them both. "No, what I was going to ask was how you know all this?"

"Oh," Adrien stepped back and rubbed the back of his head nervously. "Well, I found a recent picture of Mom in your office. Recent like a few weeks ago, and then Marinette was helping me and we found one of the blackmail notes…" He trailed off, realizing the slip he just made, and his eyes darted over to Ladybug in the corner. They had agreed that he would release his transformation, but they hadn't talked about the others also revealing their true identities.

"Marinette?" Hawkmoth smirked in amusement. "You're pretty brunette girlfriend is in on this, huh? She knows about your alter ego?"

"Well…" Adrien wasn't sure how to continue without giving more away than he already had. Luckily, he felt Ladybug's hand on his shoulder.

"It's okay, chaton." She squeezed his shoulder. "Hello Mr. Agreste." She smiled softly before releasing her transformation. "Nice to see you again."

"Marinette!" He looked surprised, but not unhappy about it. "Well, this is-" he looked down, realizing that he was still transformed. "No need for masks now is there? Nooro, wings in."

A small lilac kwami who did in fact have wings appeared. Adrien snickered to himself, and Marinette looked at him quizzically.

"What? I just realized my papa is lord of the butterflies." He started actually laughing. "His release phrase is "Wings in". He's the Butterfly ruler." Adrien was practically crying laughing now. Marinette suspected this shift of emotion was to do with pure relief that there were no more secrets. Tension had been building in Adrien, Marinette could feel it every time they were together, but confronting his father had went as well as it could have. The burden had rolled off his shoulders and now he felt weightless. Marinette joined his laughter, giggling at him giggling.

"What's your transformation phrase then?" He asked his father, whose mouth quirked slightly in amusement.

"Nooro, make my heart flutter," he said with a straight face and Adrien literally roared with laughter.

"Oh. My. God. Really?!"

"No, not really Adrien." He rolled his eyes, but chuckled a bit at his son.

"Oh my god," Adrien said, recovering and gasping for air. He was leaning on Marinette, and she felt him sway a bit.

"Adrien? When was the last time you ate?" She remembered that they had all skipped lunch that day, and it had to be nearing ten o'clock by now. She always had snacks in between classes, sharing cookies with Tikki, but she doubted Adrien did the same with Plagg. Camembert wasn't exactly enticing at all hours like cookies, so he must have eaten last at seven that morning.

"I do feel a little light headed." He shook his head, and swayed more when it got worse.

"Let's get you something eat, and go talk somewhere more comfortable." Gabriel took Adrien from Marinette and supported him with an arm around his shoulders.

"I have a feeling this is going to take a while, so why don't you all call your parents too. You can tell them it's for a project and that you're staying over." He looked over at Honu and Volpina, who had both been uncharacteristically quiet the whole time. "You too, Alya, Nino."

Alya looked at him and gaped. Nino's eyebrow furrowed, but his lip quirked nonetheless.

"How-" ALya started, but Gabriel interrupted her.

"Please," he scoffed, mock-offended. "I may have had to distance myself from my son, but that doesn't mean I am completely out of tune with him. If Marinette is Ladybug, then it's not too much of a jump to guess you two are the other half of the fantastic four."

"But still, you couldn't know for sure."

"I didn't..until now." He smirked, and Marinette was shocked at how much he looked like Adrien when he did that. They were more alike than they even realized.

"Now, food first. I'm sure you're all starving."

"I want camembert!" Plagg zoomed out of the room and towards the kitchen. Marinette caught a flash of sadness on Gabriel's face as his eyes followed the black kwami. He met Marinette's eye and gave her a small smile before filing the rest of them out of the room.

"I wonder what that was," she remarked to Tikki. She was silent, and Marinette looked down at her, the question obvious in her eyes.

"That's his story to tell, Marinette." He eyes looked sad, but final. Her lips were sealed.

"Okay," Marinette started down the stairs and pulled the hatch closed after her. "Then let's hear his story."


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30

Marinette quickly called her parents, who while angry that she was just calling now and hadn't told them beforehand where she was going to be all afternoon and if she was okay during the akuma attack, were easily placated by Mr. Agreste talking to them briefly. That and the fact they were accustomed to their daughter being a bit absent minded at times. _If only they knew the real reason I'm always all over the place_ , Marinette shook her head and said good night to her parents, before hanging up and going to sit on the couch in the living room.

Gabriel walked over to Alya and Nino, who were also on the phones with their worried parents, and checked to see if their parents similarly needed his reassurances. She closed her eyes and leaned back into the plush sofa. She could hear the soothing chatter of the five kwamis on the coffee table, catching up and eating from the platter of mishmoshed food articles that Gabriel had put together for them; cookies and camembert, obviously, and then lettuce for Wayzz, fruit juice for Nooro and berries for Trixx. Interesting that he knew each kwami's taste without having to ask, Marinette noted this to herself, but found herself far too tired to really think about it further.

The cushion next to her shifted and she slanted towards the added weight. She opened her eyes as Adrien put his arm around her shoulder and she wedged herself closer to him. He looked remarkable better than he had fifteen minutes ago. Color had come back to his cheeks and he was much calmer than before.

"Sorry about that up there," His free hand reached up to rub the back of his head in that adorable nervous manner she loved. "I was a bit hysterical."

"Well, you confronted the villain that has been terrorizing Paris for a year, face to face, who also happens to be your father and convince him that we were on his side and wanted to help, and then when your girlfriend and her best friend showed up and almost spooked him, you managed to calm him by giving up your identity. Then, for fear of being an under-achiever, you both released emotions that have been festering for a year. All in about twenty minutes. I think I'll allow a hysterical moment or two. Just this once."

"Thanks, so much Bugaboo." He vibrated slightly with a laugh. She placed a hand on his chest and rested her head against his shoulder. His laugh turned into an almost-purr and it was her turn to chuckle at him.

"Are you okay? Really, kitty?" He smiled down at her and squeezed her shoulder.

"I really am, Mari. I feel...more solid? I feel more whole than I have in a while. You're here. Nino and Alya are here. And now my dad feels like my dad again." He stopped and looked pensively in the direction of the fireplace they were facing, seeming to study the undulating flames. "It's not that I've been empty this past year, I was just very aware of the hole that had been left by the loss of my parents. It was getting better. I was becoming accustomed to my new reality, and it would have been fine eventually, but I never wanted that. I still have memories of before my father started pulling away, even before my mom disappeared, when I was really young and we were tighter knit. I always had hope that it would be like that again. I had started to give up on that the last year, but now.." He looked back at her. "Now I feel like I have my family back, and it's bigger than ever." he gazed at her meaningfully.

"You were always meant to be loved, Adrien. Maybe you needed to go through this to find your whole family. Your parents, obviously, but me, Nino and Alya, and even my parents too. They keep asking when you're coming over again." She laughed softly, but didn't look away. "You are so loved."

"So are you, Princess."

They gazed at each other, neither saying what they knew the other felt, but content to just be for a moment. Cuddling back into his side, Marinette closed her eyes. Hopefully, Nino and Alya would take fifteen more minutes and she could grab a mini-nap.

The feeling of someone sinking into the couch on her other side promptly dashed that dream, and she straightened a bit in her seat. Adrien's arm moved to around her waist, and she opened her eyes to see that everyone else had filled into the living room and were helping themselves to cups of tea that Gabriel had brought in. She helped herself to one too and looked around the room. They sat in companionable silence for a moment, before Alya, ever the reporter, couldn't wait anymore.

"Okay, we'll start," she took a deep breath and began with what they had discovered, how they had found the blackmail note and then Duusu and the miraculous. She briefly went into what Duusu had told them when they brought her to Fu and then went silent. Gabriel's face was half impressed and half distraught.

"I didn't know that last part. I assumed...When I found the scarf with Duusu in it, I knew Adela had done that deliberately so I would find her. She knew how Germain wanted to use Nooro through me, the last thing she would do was ever put her own kwami in danger." He trailed off, and Marinette glanced over at Tikki, who was already looking her way. She completely understood. The one time Tikki had been sick and then was lost, Marinette was panicked. She had been irresponsible, but she would never let any harm or danger come to Tikki ever again. They had only been together a year, but the small kwami was already family. She could only imagine how close Adela and Duusu would be after twenty years.

"Well," he said looking around at the teens, "you really know almost as much as I do. Germain really hasn't told me anything of his plans, he's too smart for that, but I do have one advantage. I've known this man for forty years. I know the way his mind works, and you four aren't the only ones who have been investigating. I think I may have an idea of what his endgame is. Germain always had political aspirations. It killed him when André moved up in government so much quicker than he, and he hated riding on his older brother's coattails. The last time I saw him, he was convinced that the government had been corrupted, starting from the top down, and he seemed to have amassed a following of those who thought the same. He's been using me and my powers to create chaos and fear in Paris, so If my predictions are right… I think he's planning a takeover."

There was an extended silence after that bomb was dropped. Alya was the first to recover herself.

"A takeover? Like a military coup?"

"I think something more of a political, Germain never liked to get his hands too dirty. My guess is that he is going to try to use the instability that I'm causing and somehow turn the blame on his brother. He's a very charming man when he wants to be, and he still has friends in the mayoral office from when he briefly worked there: people who have influence with the mayor and could affect who is hired or supported in their campaigns for positions. To be honest, André is a good man, but he tends to be easily manipulated by those close to him."

"You can say that again," Alya snorted, knowing first-hand how easily Chloé could get her way with her father.

"Ah yes," Gabriel smiled in her direction. "Young Chloé is probably the best politician in that family. She isn't exactly subtle, but when she want to be, she is a brilliant and cunning mind. Adela always said that if she weren't such a spoiled child, she'd be a force to be reckoned with."

"Maybe that's our in!" Adrien sat forward, excitedly and looked over a Nino, who was nodding, somehow catching on to his friend's line of thinking.

"Yeah! I mean," Nino looked over at the girls abashedly. "I know you two aren't exactly Chloé's biggest fans, and I'm not either. And with good reason," he amended quickly, his hands up in a placating manner, "but, she'd be the perfect person to help us. She's got an in at the mayor's office, and she knows how to deal with her father." He looked over at Adrien.

"Exactly," Adrien pointed at Nino, in full bro-mode now. "And she'd be the perfect double agent. If we could get her on our side, she'd be the perfect person to figure out what Germain is up to. She's family, but she's obviously smarter than her father. She could pretend that she feels superior to him and is more impressed with Germain's plan and politics. We don't have to tell her everything," he looked back over at the girls. "She doesn't even need to know who you guys really are, just me! I think it could work."

Gabriel nodded. "This plan definitely has merit. Germain has always been shunned by his family, but he has always craved that type of acceptance. If Chloé can be convincing enough, he would be much more open to enveloping her into the fold than anyone else."

Nino and Adrien fist-bumped, and Marinette and Alya looked at each other, gradually warming to the idea.

Marinette didn't hate Chloé. She hated her sense of entitlement and her treatment of everyone else. Mostly, she hated what Chloé brought out in her. Marinette had raised her voice and said things she wished she hadn't more than once when in the presence of the antagonizing blonde. On the other hand, she had glimpsed past Chloé's shell too. She had been genuinely hurt when Ladybug had insulted her and deep down she knew the girl had actual affection for Adrien and her father. Chloé was a product of the coddling her parents had given her. When you're never told "no" your entire life, it creates a sense of entitlement and superiority to everyone else, but Nino and Adrien were right. She would be the perfect addition to their team and the one most likely to be accepted by Germain, although Marinette did not share Adrien's confidence in their ability to keep their identities a secret. Chloé was too perceptive for that, and if this semi-formed plan of Adrien's were to work, they'd have to be completely honest with Chloé.

Still, Marinette was uneasy. Even admitting the validity of the plan and telling her the whole truth, it would still be a dangerous situation to send Chloé into. As much as the girl annoyed her, she couldn't ask that of a civilian. They were all miraculous holders, it was different…

A half-formed thought struck her. _The perfect addition to the team_. She looked up at Gabriel.

"There's another miraculous not being used right now, isn't there?" She vaguely remembered that Master Fu's case was an octagon with 5 wedges and a yin-yang circle in the middle. They knew about Tikki, Plagg, Trixx, Wayzz, Duusu and Nooro, but that left one. Surprising her, Nino answered.

"Yeah, Pollen. She's a bee kwami." Everyone looked over at him in shock. "What? Am I the only one that talks to my kwami?" Wayzz looked over like a proud parent at his holder, and Alya smiled softly at him, making him blush.

"Yes," Gabriel confirmed. "Pollen is not currently attached to anyone. Danielle was the last holder. Oh, could she be a queen bee." He chuckled lightly, eyes lost in the past.

"Perfect," Marinette couldn't have picked a better kwami, even if it weren't just the last left.

"Mari, what are you scheming?" Alya stared her down, used to this dangerous look in her friend's eye, but Marinette ignored the question and turned to the boys instead.

"You're right, Chloé is the best choice. I just have one request."

"Anything," Adrien promised quickly. He knew the dislike and tension between the two girls and had been expecting much more of a fight from Marinette. Chloé was his oldest friend, but he knew how she could grate on people: especially people she considered her "inferiors".

"Let me talk to her." Marinette stated and stared him down.

That was not what he had been expecting, and Adrien was reluctant to say yes, almost positive that Marinette trying to convince Chloé would completely ruin their chance of getting Chloé to agree.

"Mari...I don't know..." but Marinette held up a hand to silence him.

"If this is going to work, we need to get along anyway. It's the only way. Besides, I have a plan."

The other three looked around nervously at each other, all wanting to trust Marinette, but just as sure that it would be a disaster.

Gabriel looked at her, a smile hovering at the edge of his mouth. He had an idea of what the girl planned, and knew it could either be the brilliant edge they needed to win, or a disaster. One thing was for certain: it was going to be interesting.


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter 31

Gabriel finally shooed them all to bed around eleven, and he was met with little protest. All dead on their feet, the shuffled towards upstairs. Marinette was pleased to see Adrien hug his dad before following them. It was amazing how much Gabriel had changed in the course of the night. Although, maybe "change" wasn't the right word. Marinette had seen a glimpse of that man the first time she visited, so he was always there, just smothered under the burden and fear of his situation. Now he could be the father he wanted to be all along.

Alya and Marinette stayed in the guest room down the hall while the boys filed into Adrien's room. A pointed look at Adrien and Marinette from Gabriel threatened hell for any funny business that night. Honestly, they were so exhausted it wasn't even on their radar.

Flopping into the large bed, Alya fell asleep instantly, but tired as she was, Marinette's mind was whirring. A plan was forming, and she just had to keep her cool long enough to make it happen.

Waking much earlier than she normally would, Marinette grabbed her bag and she and Tikki slipped out of the guest room, closing the door silently behind her. She was overly aware of the way the large, sparse halls echoed with every step she took, and it felt like in trying to be quiet, she was broadcasting her exit throughout the house. She made her way down to the lobby, but remembering the beeping noise that the door made every time it was opened, she redirected herself to the kitchen. There was a ground level window there that would be easy to climb out of and she could grab Tikki some breakfast too. If all went to plan, she'd be back before noon, which is when she expected the rest of them to wake up.

She padded lightly towards the kitchen, shoes in her hand to further decrease the sound of her footsteps. Walking through the wide archway, she immediately spotted some cookies on the island. Stuffing some in her bag, she then moved towards the window, and was just beginning to lift it when she hear the clink of ceramic from the corner breakfast nook. Spinning around, hand on her throat in surprise, she saw Gabriel sitting calmly and enjoying a cup of coffee.

"Off on your secret mission? You know, we have a front door." He raised and eyebrow, but looked more amused than angry. Seeing him now, this early in the morning, Marinette had a difficult time conjuring an image of his public persona in her head. He sat, drinking out of a company promotional coffee cup in jeans and an old t shirt, his hair still disheveled from sleep. He looked like a dad. _He looks like Adrien_ , Marinette thought suddenly and then blushed remembering the reason she knew what Adrien's bedhead looked like.

"Good morning," she said, deciding to try and play it cool, or at least as "cool" as she was realistically able. A smirk played on Gabriel's lips, but he played along.

"Do you at least want some breakfast before you go off on your mission to convince Chloé to help us and Fu to give Chloé the civilization miraculous?"

That caught her off guard. Not that he knew her plan, she could see last night that he was catching on to her line of questioning more than the others. Although, to be fair, her friends had been so caught off guard by her acceptance of the Chloé plan, they were too in shock to keep up. No, what intrigued her was him calling it the "civilization miraculous". Last night she came to the realization that she knew next to nothing about the history of the miraculous. Nino had asked if he was the only one who talked to her kwami, and Marinette and Tikki talked all the time, but she never really asked about the other miraculous and their powers. Tikki was creation and Plagg was destruction, but the rest seemed more elusive.

"Civilization miraculous?" She asked, and moved to sit down across from him. He pushed a plate of toast across to her, and she took a bite, realizing that she was famished.

"I didn't ask until ten years after I first got my miraculous. For some reason it seemed...rude, I guess? Like asking someone their age," he laughed quietly. "Nino seems to be the only one who has ever just asked forthright. Yes, each of the kwami has some abstract idea attached to it, and each kwami came into existence when that abstract idea did. So it was Creation, Destruction, Emotion, Manipulation, Illusion, Civilization and Progression. Each was created as the world evolved, and now there are seven. Civilization and Progression are probably the least self-explanatory, and they are the youngest kwamis. Civilization in particular is interesting, because it could be considered the most powerful of all the kwamis. Danielle was always a bit vague about the extent of her powers, probably her way of still trying to show-off a bit." He rolled his eyes, but Marinette could see a genuine affection for his old friend. "The way she explained it was she wielded logic. So, think about a civilization, how when people come together it tends to lead to a collaboration that results in the most logical solutions. She can create that mentality amongst a group of people, or cut through any false impression or brainwashing someone might be under. For this reason, she is able to negate the powers of kwamis like Trixx or Nooro. She can only use the truth though, so it doesn't affect Duusu as much. However irrational emotions are, they aren't lies. "

"That seems...confusing." Marinette decided, taking a final bite of her toast, and Gabriel laughed.

"Yes, it is very confusing, and Pollen would be able to explain it better when you meet her. The gist of it is civilizations may bring out the best and the worst in people, but they always reveal the truth. Nothing stays hidden for long when a ton of people are watching and asking questions, and that is Pollen's power. Use the truth, however uncomfortable or aggressive it might be, and force it upon people."

"That actually sounds a lot like Chloé." Marinette signed.

"Yes, it does. You were very perceptive to think of her."

"So you think it's a good idea?" Marinette had her doubts all night. She was suddenly realizing how dangerous this all was and that four, hopefully soon to be five, teenagers were tossing themselves into the middle of a potentially violent government coup attempt. Yes, the were not ordinary teenagers, but she nonetheless felt very young and usure all of a sudden.

"Yes, I do," he answered without hesitation, though he noticed the insecurity flickering across Marinette's face. "It will be delicate getting Chloé to agree, but when she does, I think it will be a good fit."

She was grateful that he said "when" and not "if".

"Okay."

"Just remember, Chloé is brutally honest, even if that honesty is sometimes distorted to fit her own goals. A person like that isn't going to respond to platitudes and empty compliments. You need to use her strength against her." He stared at her, making sure she understood. When she nodded he said, "Good. Now off you go, I'll close the window behind you." He made a shooing motion with his hand and went back to his coffee.

Marinette stumbled over the window frame, but made her way towards Chloé, more resolved than ever.


	32. Chapter 32

Chapter 32

Chloé was sleeping peacefully in her Le Grand Paris penthouse and gold-plated four post bed. A silk sleeping mask wrapped securely around her eyes and her room-darkening shades gave her the perfect sleep. It wasn't easy being so beautiful, but 10 hours sleep helped, and Chloé was currently on hour 8, well on her way to the optimal sleep.

That was until a polka-dotted superhero burst in through her balcony and scared ten years off her life. Her balcony doors opened and a beam of light even her face mask could protect against ruined her sleep ambiance. Whipping her face mask off, she demanded, "Who dares-" but seeing that it was not her father or any of the hotel staff, a shock went through her body. After allowing a warranted girlish scream out, she noticed that the intruder was none other than her friend Ladybug and she composed herself in a more regal manner. Sitting up in bed, She straightened her hair and looked at her uninvited guest.

"Ladybug," she laughed in what she hoped was a natural way. "What are you doing here?"

"Erm, uhh, Chloé. I need to ask you a favor," the superhero seemed in pain to ask the question. Chloé was intrigued. Her and ladybug had their past of a few issues, and she wasn't oblivious. Chloé could tell that the woman didn't like her, but Ladybug was a powerful connection to have, and Chloé was loathe to let that connection be severed by either of them; so she played the loyal fan.

"Okay, let's be real for a moment," Ladybug stepped towards Chloé. "I know we've had some issues, but you're not an idiot, so I'm not going to bullshit you. I need your help. I'm helping a mutual friend of ours and he needs your help too. I am going to tell you all of this because he trusts you, but can _I_ trust you?"

Chloé and Ladybug regarded each other seriously. _It is too early in the morning for this_ , Chloé groaned internally, but decided to hear her out. If she was right and they were helping a mutual friend, than that was enough for Chloé. She only truly called a very small group of people her actual friend. Even if it wasn't though, having Ladybug owe her a favor was pretty good motive to help anyway.

"Hold on," Chloé help up a finger, and moved to get out of bed. Reaching for her remote, she pushed the button to open the curtains, letting the morning light into the room. She then proceeded to flip a switch on a nearby coffee maker and walk into the second room that acted as her closet to grab her silk kimono. Reemerging, she put her hair up in it's signature ponytail and poured two cups of coffee. She motioned towards the balcony, and she and Ladybug sat at her outdoor breakfast table.

"Breakfast will be brought up in two hours. Should I tell them to bring a second?"

"Uh, no. This shouldn't take that long." Ladybug seemed discomposed by Chloé's hospitality. Interesting. It made Chloé think that they may know each other outside of the mask, that Ladybug had expected a different treatment from her.

"So it's about Adrien," Ladybug started, and it was Chloé's turn to be shocked. Ladybug had managed to say the one person who she felt closest to, and she was definitely interested now. How does Adrien know Ladybug? He had never mentioned it, but then again, she supposed that a friendship with a superheroine to the degree of closeness that they two must share for Ladybug to be helping him like this would necessitate some discretion. Chloé leaned forward, but didn't interrupt her.

"It's about his mom actually. We discovered that she's been kidnapped and his family is being blackmailed to ensure her safety. And it's indirectly involving your family too." She paused, and sighed. "Adrien trusts you, so I'm going to tell you everything, but I can't stress enough how important it is that you keep this secret. It is dangerous. For him and his father, but potentially for you too, so before I really go into it, I want to make sure you are 100% in." Ladybug looked at Chloé, her eyes had a hard edge to them, and Chloé started to understand just how close this girl must be to Adrien. _She's protective of him_ , she thought and cocked her head as she observed the superhero. _And his father_ , she added. Interesting. This puzzle was just becoming more and more complicated, and even if it were dangerous, Chloé needed to know the ending. She always liked a good mystery.

She decided to drop her usual veil of indifference and superiority, and match Ladybug's own open frankness.

"Adrien is my oldest friend, and his mother was always kind to me. I will always help him, especially if you're right and my family is connected in some way."

Ladybug regarded her sternly for a minute, and then seemed to deflate, detecting Chloé's sincerity.

"Okay, good. This has to work and you're our best bet," She said almost to herself before continuing. "So basically, your uncle Germain is planning to overthrow your father as mayor and take control of Paris. He has contacts placed throughout the mayoral office and he's been using Hawkmoth to create terror in Paris so he can accuse your father of being unable to protect the citizens and therefore unfit for mayor."

Chloé's jaw dropped. She had not been expecting that at all. She only vaguely remembered her uncle Germain, she was probably 10 or 11 the last time she saw him, and his visits were few and far between. She knew he worked with her father when she was younger in the mayoral office, but her young mind never detected this kind of malice within him. Come to think of it, her father always was closed-lip about his younger brother. The rest of his family visited often, and even in their reminiscing together, Germain's name was rarely mentioned.

"Wait," she drew herself up from her thoughts. "What does this have to do with Adrien?"

"Oh, Gabriel is Hawkmoth and Adrien is Chat Noir." She stated it like she was listing off the soup of the day options.

"Oh, of course. Silly me." Chloé looked past the girl and tried not to freak out. At least it made sense now why Ladybug was so eager to help Adrien. She looked back, something akin to hysteria bubbling up inside of her.

"Go ahead," Ladybug said, a smirk playing at the corner of her lips. "Let it out."

"HOLY SHIT! ADRIEN IS CHAT NOIR?! AND IS HAWKMOTH? WHAT-HOW-?" She threw her hands up, completely unsure where to follow that train of thought. Disbelief.

"Oh, and Adela is a miraculous holder too, just not in possession of it right now, obviously."

"Miraculous holder?"

"It's the object that gives us our power. It chooses you to be it's wielder."

"Okay," Chloé said flimsily and deflated into her seat, digesting all the information that had just been bluntly delivered. Her uncle was trying to be a political mastermind, and seemed to being doing a decent job of it. He had taken Adrien's mom and threatened to harm her if Adrien's dad, Hawkmoth, didn't do his bidding. On top of everything, it was so dangerous or delicate that three people with superpowers still needed _her_ help. She was coming to the conclusion that Ladybug definitely wasn't over-exaggerating earlier.

"I'll help, of course, but I don't know what I can really do. I'm just a normal person…" she trailed off, echoing her thoughts. She was an ordinary civilian, and she was feeling uncommonly vulnerable admitting to herself how outmatched she was in this instance.

"We want you to infiltrate whatever group your uncle has formed. Give us an inside edge. If he's as paranoid as Gabriel says, you're the only one that could get close enough, fast enough, without rousing suspicion." She paused, seeming to deliberate her next sentence. "As for being ordinary, I think we both know that's not true. And defenseless? If everything goes how I think it will, that won't be an issue."

Chloé looked at her with narrowed eyes. She was being deliberately cryptic, but she had the sense that Ladybug would say nothing else about it, so Chloé didn't press.

Chloé thought over everything Ladybug had told her, and she had to admit that it was supremely logical and clever. It could work, and she wanted to help. She trusted Adrien and she knew he wouldn't put anyone in danger if there was a better option.

"Okay."

"Okay? Really?" Ladybug laughed in relief and slumped back into her seat. Chloé realized just then that she had been expecting much more of a fight. She raised her eyebrow at her, and Ladybug smiled and laughed again.

"Wait until we tell Adrien. He was so disbelieving that I could convince you." Chloé smirked, and despite trying to maintain a strictly professional distance from the girl, found herself starting to like the superheroine. She was honest and straightforward, and Chloé respected that, even when people honestly hated her.

"Well, let's not keep him waiting," Chloé finished her coffee, leaving the cup on the table. Someone would get it later. She walked into her closet, picking a simple outfit of artistically-worn jeans and a designer t shirt. Slipping on her favorite leather ballet shoes, she came out and found Ladybug looking around in her room.

"Okay, ready?" Ladybug turned around and looked at her.

"I wasn't sure if I was going to do this, but there's one more thing I need to tell you."

Chloé sighed in exasperation. _Revelation after revelation_.

"Okay, just tell me already. I feel like nothing will shock me now." At that, Ladybug just laughed darkly.

"We know each other outside the mask, and we're not exactly friends." She took a deep breath, and Chloé looked on eagerly. So she knew both Chat Noir and Ladybug's civilian selves. Fascinating.

"Well, I'm not exactly _friendly_ with many people," She and Ladybug smirked at each other, "but we have a common goal, and Adrien is my friend. Regardless of who you are, I can work with you to help him."

Ladybug seemed to accept that response and nodded before saying, "Tikki, spots off!" A red light flashed through the room, momentarily blinding Chloé. She opened her eyes and saw Marinette standing before her. Her jaw dropped for what felt like the hundredth time that morning.

"Well, you proved me wrong," she admitted grudgingly. "I can still be surprised. But why-how-you?" Chloé was incredulous and she saw an angry glint come to Marinette's eyes.

"Yes, me." She responded, her face losing the open expression she had maintained for their entire conversation. She was right, they were not friends. They antagonized each other. The Marinette she knew was clumsy and bumbling and infuriatingly kind. Chloé enjoyed bringing out the fight in Marinette. It was always a much more honest response from the girl, but Chloé would be the first to admit that sometimes her verbal attacks could be brutal. She liked challenging people. Marinette was usually an easy target, and Chloé was honestly jealous of Marinette's ease around people and in making friends. While Chloé could put onan act as well as the next person, she was exhausted by the idea of living day in and day out as a different person just so people will like you. As it was, Chloé's naturally abrasive personality didn't exactly engender her to make friends.

"You're right, we aren't friends. But if we're going to do this, I'd like to change that." Chloé tried to make her words as soft as possible, knowing that she really didn't deserve such easy forgiveness.

Marinette regarded the girl coldly for a few moments and a small being hovered near her shoulder and murmured something in her ear. Chloé was shocked to see the large looking bug, but Marinette was not, so she tried to curb her usual response to insects.

Marinette's shoulders lost some of their tension.

"Look Chloé. You don't really know me and I don't really know you. If this is going to work, we are going to at least have to cooperate. I was reluctant to tell you who I really was for this reason. I'm willing to move past what's been said in the past and start over, if you're also willing to stop your insults against me and my family. That is my condition. I will do anything to help Adrien, but I draw the line there."

Chloé nodded. "You're right. Those were over the line and I'm sorry, if that's worth anything." She reached out her hand towards Marinette.

Marinette was hesitant, but she needed this to work, so she shook Chloé's hand.

"It is." Then without another word to Chloé, she transformed again. "Do you need to tell anyone you're leaving?"

Chloé pulled out her cell, and sent a text to her dad's assistant that she left to do some early shopping. That should cover her for a few hours.

"Done."

"Okay," Ladybug grabbed her around the waist. "Hold on. We have to make one stop first."

Chloé didn't get a chance to think of where that might be because she was too busy trying not to scream as they were suddenly falling off the side of the hotel.

It was definitely going to be a bad hair day.


	33. Chapter 33

Chapter 33

Ladybug's adrenaline was still pumping. To be completely honest, she was expecting a fight when she released her transformation. Chloé had said some deeply hurtful things to her in the past. Most were just comments that would get a rise out of her, and knowing her personality a little better now, Ladybug could appreciate more that it was just Chloé's brutal honesty and disregard for dishonest social filters; however, there was more than one instance when Chloé had deliberately insulted Marinette's parents and her economic status. No, her parents weren't swimming in cash, but the were honest and hard-working people. Her father and mother bought the storefront shortly after they married and had managed to create a bakery that had become a staple in the neighborhood and was now very successful. She was proud of them, and anyone who insulted them and made them out to be less than they were would have to answer to her.

Needless to say, Chloé's attitude had surprised her; so, she accepted her apology and decided to give her the benefit of the doubt. She definitely didn't trust her yet, but maybe even Chloé could change and grow up. She'd seen a different side to her this morning, more open without the usual mask of indifference she wore, and Ladybug had also noticed how clever she was. It was something that, subconsciously, she had to have known. No one can make their insults hit their mark with such acuity like Chloé did without an observant eye and a canny intelligence about human behavior and interaction.

If nothing else, at least this morning's events cemented in her mind that Chloé was the right person for the civilization miraculous. Using the truth to her benefit was her forte.

Chloé was holding onto Ladybug with a strength that surprised her, and she slowed as the alley they were aiming for came into view. Dropping gently into the shadows, she gently disentangled Chloé.

"Um, we're here." Chloé opened her eyes and blinked.

"I'm not sure if that was terrifying or exhilarating."

"You'll get used to it," Ladybug chuckled lightly, enjoying more than she cared to admit the unguarded version of Chloé.

"Will I?" Chloé asked, a intelligent light flaring in her eye. Ladybug just ignored her and released her transformation, trying not to give anything away in case her hunch was wrong.

"Here you go, Tikki." She gave her kwami a few cookies and let her rest in her purse. Once securely away, she turned to Chloé.

"Okay, let's go." Chloé followed without comment.

"What was that red bug?" She asked when they entered the stairwell to the older walk-up.

"Tikki? She's my kwami. She gives me my powers. She's...well, she's basically an ancient god."

"Kwami?" Chloé furrowed her brow. "I thought you said the miraculous gave you your power."

"It's more like a conduit for Tikki to give me her power."

Chloé nodded and continued to follow her, but her face still looked pensive. Marinette realized that she was trying not to be offensive and thinking very carefully about her questions. She smiled.

"You can ask me anything about it, Chloé. It's confusing and foreign and even Adrien and I don't understand everything about it yet." Then she stopped outside Master Fu's door and turned to Chloé. "Look, I don't want you to be afraid to offend me. I expect you to be rude sometimes. It's who you are. You're blunt and believe the truth is more important that protecting people's feelings. I can respect that. All I ask is that you stop trying to deliberately get a rise out of me. We both know you can make me angry if you want to. How about we try to tackle the challenge of being friends?"

Chloé smirked. "I do love a challenge."

"Well, then I brought you to the right place." Marinette turned, and knocked on the bamboo door in front of them. Master Fu opened the door, and she bowed with Chloé following suit.

 _Please let this work_ , she prayed as they followed Master Fu through the door.

Adrien woke to a pounding on the door. He noticed the sun shining in the windows from a much higher angle than it usually was when he woke for the day and rolled over to check the clock. It was noon. They'd slept for nearly twelve hours and he was still tired.

He looked to the couch and Nino was still soundly asleep, so he rolled out of bed and padded to the door where the knocking was getting more insistent. He opened the door to a frazzled Alya with an impressive nest of curly bed head.

"Where's Mari?" She stood on her tiptoes and tried to peer around him in the room. He opened the door wider and allowed her in. Nino had started to get up. _His Alya-radar must have gone off_ , Adrien thought with a smirk. Then her words sank in.

"Wait, what? What do you mean 'Where's Mari'? She's not with you?" If he wasn't awake before, that did it. With everything going on with his mom, and maybe some paranoia as they got closer to truth of the whole story with this Germain guy, he was immediately alarmed.

"She wasn't there when I woke up," Alya shook her head. "All her stuff is gone and the bed next to me was cold, so she must have been gone for a while. I thought maybe she came to see you…"

Adrien was half listening to Alya as she spoke. He ran to the bathroom and threw on some jeans. Then, when Alya trailed off, he rushed out the door and down the hall to the guest room. She definitely was gone, but he checked everywhere anyway before running down the stairs.

His mind was going to places his logical brain was telling him were ridiculous. She was smart, she was strong, and she wasn't reckless. It's more likely she went home to get something or for a walk or… a million other things, but all he could think was what if she was in danger? Why would she leave without telling anyone? Even a text?

He was whipping through the foyer when he practically ran into his dad.

"Papa!" he shouted, and a smile flickered on Gabriel's face hearing his son call him that again, but then he saw the frantic look on Adrien's face.

"What's wrong?" He too was on the immediate alert.

"It's Marinette. She's gone and she didn't tell us where she was going. Did you see her? You don't think-"

Before he could finish that thought, Marinette walked in through the front door.

"Mari!" Adrien rushed her and enveloped her in an immediate hug.

"Kitty, what-" then she seemed to realize his reaction. "Oh. Oh Adrien, I'm sorry. I thought I'd be back before any of you woke. It just took a bit longer than I anticipated."

He pulled back and looked at her, his heart resuming a normal tempo now that she was physically in front of him.

"No, I know I overreacted, but you're fin. I just could help thinking-wait, what took longer?" He finally looked up from her and saw a paler-than-usual Chloé standing behind her.

"Oh, Chlo! Hey!" He rubbed the back of his head with one hand. "Wait, Bugaboo, did you…?"

"Yeah," Marinete shifted her feet nervously, "So there are some things I should catch you up on." She glanced back at Chloé and the two seemed to share a conspiratorial grin. _What is going on? Am I really awake right now?_

"Marinette? Chloé?" He asked perplexed, but Marinette stayed silent and Chloé just stepped up and put a hand on her hip.

"You can call me Queen Bee."


	34. Chapter 34

Chapter 34

Chloé watched the interaction of Adrien and Marinette with interest and more than a little jealousy. She had known Adrien forever and always regarded him as family, but she would be lying if she said there wasn't a part of her that genuinely hoped someday they would be together. Sure, she put on a show of being very possessive of him, but that was more to protect Adrien against the fangirls than anything else. For someone so famous, he was incredibly naive because of the sheltered life he had lived. With his naivety came his signature Adrien sweetness and humility, but it also made him vulnerable at times. Chloé, on the other hand, had spent a lot of time divining the true nature of people and building a reputation to be respected if not feared. She made sure everyone was well aware that Adrien was her friend from his very first day. It may have made it more difficult for him to make friends, but it also definitely warded off those who were only interested in his celebrity.

Now watching him and Marinette, she realized two things. One, that Adrien's experiences as Chat Noir the last year and this whole situation with his mother had definitely stripped him of that naivety. A part of her was sad to see that part of him go, and she realized that was her possessive streak rearing its ugly head. He clearly didn't need her protection anymore, and to be honest, it would be nice to know him in the light of all these recent revelations. She prided herself on being a good judge of character and being able to see through people, but apparently not Adrien. Or Marinette.

And that brought her to realization number two. Any hope she had for a future relationship with Adrien was gone. Even as she watched them now, arguing about whether Marinette should have left without telling anyone or if Chloé getting a miraculous was something they all should have discussed, Chloé couldn't deny that the two seemed to fit. They moved in an involuntary dance, complimenting each other even as they debated. It was clear why the entire city shipped Ladybug and Chat Noir. She signed. She had shipped them too.

She stood there, hand still on her hip and she started to tap her foot in annoyance. Her loyalties may still lie more firmly with Adrien, but even she had to admit he was being annoying. She got that they were partners and made decisions together, but Marinette was a big girl and she was an ass-kicking superhero for Christ's sake! She could take care of herself and make her own decisions. Besides, Marinette didn't choose Chloé for the miraculous. The miraculous did. Marinette had just introduced her to Fu and facilitated it. It was made very clear to her that were she not meant to wield the civilization miraculous, the kwami would not have responded to her in the way it did.

She said this to Adrien. He just sputtered for a moment and then went back to his least logical argument: it could have been dangerous.

Chloé rolled her eyes and the sound of someone clearing their throat from the staircase caught her attention. Alya and Nino stood side by side, each disheveled from sleep but still with purple bruises of tiredness under their eyes.

 _And the plot thickens_ , Chloé thought raising an eyebrow at the two.

"If you two are done bickering like an old married couple," Alya started down the stairs, careful to keep a hold on the bannister to keep her socked feet from slipping on the polished marble, "We want food." She darted her eyes towards Chloé. "And information," she added, turning towards the kitchen.

Nino followed her like he usually did, eyes a bit glazed over in the lovesick way he did when her back was turned. Alya moved around the house in complete comfort, Chloé noted. She knew the Agrestes weren't big entertainers and Adrien never invited people to his house. That being said, these three moved around like they were familiar with the place. Chloé's questions just kept multiplying.

"Alright, chaton," Marinette rolled her eyes at a still flushed Adrien. "We can finish this later if you really want to, but we all have a lot to talk about and I'm sure you're hungry."

"I'm fine," Adrien huffed like a petulant child.

"Really?" Marinette started to turn. "That's a shame. I was going to make my special patrol hot chocolate. Oh well, I'm sure Nino will want extra." She started to walk away towards the kitchen.

Adrien perked up, and Chloé swore in that moment she could vividly see the way his ears would raise and his tail would start to swish if he were transformed into Chat Noir.

"Your hot cocoa?" He sounded much more like his usual cheerful self and he started after her. Marinette just chuckled as he stooped next to her and kissed her cheek.

Chloé stayed where she was, taking in everything, and not quite sure what to do. These four seemed like a cohesive unit, and try as she might, she didn't tend to play well with others. She was trying to decide if she should approach this situation with her usual disdain or try another tactic when Marinette's head popped back around from the doorway she and Adrien had just disappeared into.

"You coming? Don't tell me you don't like hot chocolate." Marinette's face looked earnest, and Chloé was deeply appreciative for the girl's efforts to be welcoming and friendly, though she would never say so.

"It's a peasant's drink." Chloé responded automatically, but then allowed a small smile and started towards Marinette. The brunette had a knowing smirk on her face and they walked together to meet the others.

"Should we wait for your dad?" Marinette set down the last mug of chocolate, and glanced through the doorway. She had seen Gabriel when she first got back, but he had disappeared.

"He had to go take care of some weekend shoot issue. He usually doesn't bother, but this is a re-shoot for the spring show, and apparently the people who approved the first shoot were 'inconceivably incompetent'." He shrugged, taking a timid sip of his still steaming chocolate, and then sighed in ecstasy. "Marry me," he said, though he was gazing into the cup, so Marinette wasn't sure if he meant her or the chocolate. Regardless, she was used to his incoherent, chocolate-induced ramblings. They did this once a week on Monday patrol.

"I don't know, pretty boy," Alya piped in. "You keep eating like that, you're going to lose your model figure. Mari needs her trophy-husband in tip-top shape." She was thoroughly amused at the nirvanic expressions of everyone at the table. Marinette laughed.

"Yeah, Kitty, extra patrol runs for you tonight."

"Mhmm, sure, okay, Bug." He was still gazing at his cup, and Marinette rolled her eyes in Alya's direction. Then she noticed the pensive look on Chloé's face. She had glimpsed a rare moment of vulnerability in the girl a few minutes before and realized that Chloé didn't have many friends or people she trusted, so this whole situation, and the easy camaraderie between the four, was likely foreign and might seem exclusive. She was sipping her "peasant's drink" with less fervor than the rest of the table, but didn't seem to be all there with them. Marinette leaned back and looked around the table, deciding just to bite the bullet.

"So, Chloé is going to help with Germain, and also I took her to meet Master Fu and now she wields the civilization miraculous."

That brought them all out of their stupor, and they all just blinked at her, even Adrien to whom this had already been revealed. Nino was the first to collect himself.

"Pollen chose her?" Marinette kept on forgetting that Nino was basically the kwami expert amongst them. She nodded and Chloé opened her purse, releasing Pollen from where she had been resting. Still, no one else spoke.

"Guys-" Marinette started, but Chloé cut her off.

"Look, I get that this isn't ideal for anyone. You don't like me. I get it. I'm not here to be liked, but I am here to help. My miraculous is about honesty. And honestly? I don't need to be your best friend, and honestly I don't care whether or not you think I'm worthy to stand with Ladybug and Chat Noir. Pollen does, and ahe thinks I'm the right fit. So, I'll take a god's judgement over yours." She huffed and lifted her chin indignantly.

"And Honu and Volpina," Nino added quietly.

"What?" Chloé was caught off-guard. She hadn't been expecting his subdued response.

"You stand beside Ladybug, Chat Noir, Volpina and Honu. You stand with them all."

"Yeah, right." She still looked unsure as to where he was going with this.

"And you're right, they don't need to like you, but you all have to be a cohesive unit and work together. I don't doubt you were chosen for a reason-even if your brand of honesty tends to come out as cruelty-but they were chosen too; so, maybe give them the benefit of the doubt and not assume everyone is looking to pick a fight with you."

Chloé regarded him, seeing a new side to Nino and not sure what to make of it.

"I'll be sure to do that when I meet them," she responded tentatively.

"Honey," Alya laughed, "too late." Trixx and Wayzz zipped out from where they had been concealed under the table.

"Wha-you're both-" Chloé's shock was cut off, though, by Gabriel storming in through the kitchen door.

"We have a problem," he bypassed the others and looked directly at Adrien and Marinette.

In his hands he held another envelope, but but in his other hand was some kind of propoganda poster, and on it's front were Ladybug and Chat Noir.


	35. Chapter 35

Chapter 35

Gabriel left while Adrien was still interrogating Marinette, amused at his son's over-the-top reaction but a bit alarmed by its source. He was distraught to think that Adrien might emerge from this whole situation with a permanent scar on him and a constant worry and paranoia following him into his adult life. Gabriel had lived like that for too many years and knew what it did to his marriage and his relationship with his son. That was the last thing he wanted for Adrien.

He arrived at the shoot location, and quickly approved the frames taken that day. Thankfully, the director chosen for this morning was far more capable than the one the week before. "Artistic license" he had called the half-assed trash he'd submitted. Gabriel shook his head. The young man came from a prominent fashion family and had the benefit of the best education money could offer. Despite that, Gabriel was continually amazed by the arrogance of those who had perfect opportunities. You couldn't educate talent into someone. Though he himself came from an elitist family, he learned very young that your family name and wealth meant nothing without the character to back it up.

He was still lost in this train of thought when he stopped by his office to grab some materials he needed to go over before the spring show meeting he had Monday morning. He noted his assistant's surprise at seeing him so casual, even if it was a Sunday. Gabriel had traded his well-worn jeans for a pair of more fitted and darker denim and black turtleneck. While not casual by any means, it wasn't the suit that people seemed to assume was surgically attached to his body.

"Good afternoon, Edmund."He kept his face blank, but smiled inwardly as the man hurried to correct his expression.

Gabriel walked past him and into his office. He quickly grabbed some materials, and was back out the door. Just as he was waiting for the elevators, Edmund came scurrying over.

"Sir, forgive me, I almost forgot. This came for you by messenger this morning. I asked if it was urgent," he added hurriedly, "but I was assured it could wait until Monday. Since you stopped in, though…" He trailed off, still holding the envelope expectantly towards Gabriel.

The problem was that Gabriel had noticed the writing on the outside, and was extremely reluctant to take it from the man, as if by not touching it, it's contents didn't exist yet for him.

Reluctantly, he took the package, and nodded at Edmund, who hurried back to his desk. Holding it in his hands, he noticed it was substantially heavier than usual, and opened it to find a disk instead of the typical letter. There was a teal post-it on it. Adela's color. It read _You were warned_.

He spun on his heel and sprinted back to his office, slamming the door and ignoring the flabbergasted expression on his assistant's face. He inserted the CD into his computer, grateful that he hadn't updated his laptop yet to the newer models that no longer had the CD slot. The computer whirred and a notification to play the video popped up. With shaking fingers, he moved the mouse to hit 'play'.

He watched the video on repeat in horror, until finally he developed enough of a desensitization to his wife's pain to notice the other details. That's when he spotted it. Pinned to the wall in the background, but clear in the light coming from the movie camera, was a poster with Chat Noir and Ladybug on it.

He took a screenshot and enhanced it, until it was as clear as possible, and he started to understand Germain's plan and why he needed Hawkmoth so badly.

"Shit," he cursed and hurried to print the page. Careful to delete everything off his computer and extract the CD, he stored everything in the messanger bag he brought with him. Storming out of the office in a fury, he took the stairs instead.

He would not hide this from his son. As much as he wanted to shield Adrien from additional worry and emotional trauma, if their plan, and to be honest their relationship, was going to work, they needed transparency between them. Then he remembered Adela's face in the video. Maybe he wouldn't show them the video.

Wiping an errant tear from his cheek, he stepped out into the Parisian sunlight and into the waiting car, towards his son.

Adrien watched his father's face, clearly more distraught than he was letting on, as he described the video to the table. He had accepted Chloé's presence without question, and he had a feeling that Marinette and his father had been scheming behind his back. Far from angry, he was pleased that they seemed to get along. He had long desired a cohesive family unit, and Marinette liking his parents...He turned his attention back to his father. If what he was saying was right, then his family was getting closer and closer to being one person short.

"What did he do to her, papa?"

Gabriel hesitated much too long for Adrien's comfort. "I-You don't want to know Adrien. Please, don't ask. It won't help, I promise."

Adrien stared at him for a long moment, before nodding. He really didn't want to know, and he didn't care if that made him weak. If he wanted to keep a clear head about this, which he needed in order to have everyone's back, then he needed to not be clouded by rage or agony.

"To be honest, Adrien, your mother isn't my top concern, and she would agree. Did you read what that poster says?"

Adrien furrowed his brow at his father. His mother was probably being tortured and she wasn't his chief concern? He turned his attention back to the paper in his hand, giving it more than the cursory glance he had before. Most of the print was too small and blurry to make out but he spotted keywords like "murder", "brutal" and "justice". He took that in, and then passed it to Marinette, at a loss for what to say. She glanced it over and gasped before Alya yanked it out of her hands.

"So-" Marinette started in a shaky voice and cleared her throat. "It's unclear, but basically from what I can read, there are two options. Either he is going to blame murders on us, or he is going to have us murdered." She looked around at everyone, the poster having made the rounds by now. "Anyone have some alternative? I would love an alternative right now." Adrien reached over and grabbed her hand.

"Papa, what were you thinking? You printed it out for a reason."

Gabriel hesitated, looking between him and Marinette. From behind him, Nino spoke.

"Of course, that's what Hawkmoth was for." Adrien was still watching his father's face when Nino said this, and watched as it confirmed Nino's statement. Nino continued, "He uses Hawkmoth to create havoc, and blames his brother for not taking him down and needing two masked vigilantes to take care of the problem for him. Then, he either turns the city against them, " nodded towards Marinette, acknowledging the two options she'd deduced, "and accuses them of something, like murder, or, more likely, he kills them and then blames Hawkmoth. Either way, it clearly creates chaos in Paris that the mayor would be the scapegoat for, leaving the city desperate for someone else."

"A someone else who will obviously fix all the problems because he is the one creating them in the first place." Alya finished for him, narrowing her eyes in anger over the whole scenario. "Damn, I wish I could cover this in the LadyBlog…"

"Oh my god," Adrien heard Chloé whisper from the other side of the table, and turned to look at her. Her face had lost its color, and he could tell that this all had just become very real for her. It was one thing hearing the story, but seeing proof and hearing his father describe it, even leaving most of it out like he did, was a completely different monster.

"My uncle did this to your family. Adrien, I-" He could see the tears welling up in Chloé's eyes and stood to walk over to her. She put up a tough exterior with everyone, but Adrien had known her too long to only see the mask she wore. He could never explain to people when they asked why he was friends with her. He would just say she was different with him, or she wasn't always like that. The truth was that Chloé was just extremely distrustful of people in general. Even before she was a miraculous holder, he marveled at her superpower to look at someone and just know almost instantly what made them tick. It was probably what made her such an effective bully in school, but it also made her a fierce friend. Adrien wasn't oblivious to how protective she was of him.

He had only seen her cry once, at her mom's funeral seven years ago, and Adrien could tell that she was starting to blame herself. Despite her flair for the dramatic in public, Chloé would never cry with him just for show. He kneeled in front of her chair and grabbed his hands in hers.

"Chlo, don't. Don't go there." He gently squeezed her hands. "None of this is your fault."

"Adrien, he's my uncle. How can you even look at me right now?"

"You can't choose your family, and you had no idea what was going on."

"I hate him."

"Me too."

She stared at him, and nodded. Then, looking around, she extracted her hands from his, uncomfortable with the amount of emotion she had just displayed. Everyone had kind expressions on their faces, but she collected herself lest it turn into pitty. Clearing her throat, she stood up, popped her hip and crossed her arms.

"So how are we taking this asshole down?" She looked around at the team. _Her team_. Alya's face spread in a grin and she spoke.

"Let's make a plan!"


	36. Chapter 36

Chapter 36

When the school week finally rolled around, Marinette didn't feel like she had gotten any break. She still moved through her classes in her zombie-like state, Alya, Nino and Adrien doing much of the same. Even Chloé didn't have enough energy to terrorize anyone. She was actually being borderline nice, or at least indifferent, to most people, and it was freaking the class out a bit. It probably didn't help that the five had been exchanging pleasant smiles in the morning, nothing earth-shattering, but strange enough to create some gossip about what was going on.

The real talk started on Wednesday, though. Marinette and Chloé went up to hand in their exams at the same time and Chloé accidentally bumped Marinette...or maybe it was the other way around? Who knew? They all had been up late most nights trying to figure out a plan for Germain and having impromptu study and homework sessions at the same time. They were both sleep-deprived. Whoever bumped into who, Marinette dropped her test and it glided towards the filing cabinet behind Chloé. Without question, Chloé walked over and picked it up, handing them both into Ms. Bustier.

"Thanks," Marinette muttered, and then walked back to her desk, Chloé just giving her a brief nod in return. When they both sat down, they could almost physically feel the weight of everyone's eyes on the back of their heads. Marinette looked over to Alya, but the girl had already handed in her test and was lightly snoozing, using her messenger bag as a makeshift pillow. Adrien turned around and looked past her. Scoping out the room, he met her eyes and they both started shaking with suppressed laughter. She looked over at Chloé and saw an amused look on her face. Then she did the unthinkable: Chloé contorted her face, crossing her eyes and sticking her tongue out at them.

Marinette and Adrien started to giggle in earnest followed shortly by Chloé. Alya woke up then and glanced between them all, annoyed to be woken up, but enjoying the shocked faces of everyone in the class. Even Ms. Bustier, who had looked up at the noise, couldn't quite hold her teacher-like scowl at them for making noise during a test. She noted the three students involved and was either so perplexed or relieved that Chloé was doing something other than fighting with people, she allowed a small smile, before shushing them. Sitting back, Marinette controlled her giggles and was again baffled by the sudden change in her and Chloé's relationship.

That's why, for the rest of the week, Marinette wasn't surprised that at every available moment people were trying to discreetly milk her for information about what was going on. No one approached Chloé because she still managed to maintain that aura of fear around her, so it all fell on Marinette and Alya as her confidant. They couldn't even count on the distraction of an akuma attack. Since Gabriel now knew who they were, he made sure to only carry out akumatisations right before school or right after. Nothing that would interfere with their studies or their sleep. She would be grateful if she weren't so desperate to just be left alone.

After class on Friday, she hastily said goodbye to everyone. They had all agreed to take the weekend off from everything, so other than Akuma attacks, she was good to go. Honu and Volpina would patrol tonight, and they would cover the weekend so Marinette and Adrien could finally sleep and hopefully forget about the price on their heads. Maybe.

Chloé had other weekend plans. She was going to snoop this weekend to try and find her uncle's contacts in the mayoral office. Her plan was to try to find the most likely offenders by subtly complaining about her father's incompetence. Hopefully she would get some information about how to reach out to her uncle or someone would hint to him that she may be an ally.

They all had their jobs for the weekend, and Marinette's was relaxation. As soon as she got home, she grabbed some cookies for Tikki and a glass of water for herself before climbing onto her balcony. She laid unceremoniously on the ground and spread her limbs in every which direction, enjoying the mindless hum of Paris beneath her and the afternoon sun warming her skin from above.

A while later, a dull thump and slight vibration beneath her woke her up. She opened her eyes but couldn't see and heard a noise again from her right. Panicking she reached for the nearest object-her still full glass of water-and hurled it in the direction of the noise.

"Shit, Bugaboo," she hear the jingle of Chat's bell as he shook water off him and then the delayed shatter of glass as it hit the alley below. She cringed and hoped there was no one down there. Her eyes were beginning to adjust to the now very dark sky and she crawled over to the switch that turned on the string of twinkle lights that wrapped around her railing.

"Merde! Chat! Don't sneak up on me like that!"

He rolled his eyes at her, and started to get down from where he was perched on the ledge. "I know the stereotype, but I hardly think some water is going to scare this cat off." He rubbed his left shoulder. "Though, you have crazy good aim in the dark. Are you sure you're not the one with night vision."

He transformed and Plagg went inside happily to the stash of cheese Marinette kept for him in a small cooler. Adrien slid down the wall and sat next to her. She looked over at him and burst out laughing. He truly did look like a drowned cat. Half of his hair was plastered to his head from where he got splashed with water. She reached up and ran her fingers through his hair, trying to shake it out.

When she was done, he grabbed her hand as she was pulling it away and gently kissed her palm before lacing his fingers with her. She sighed and laid her had on his shoulder, feeling drowsy again after the initial surprise of seeing him. A few minutes passed before he spoke again.

"Are you okay, Princess?" He spoke softly, but with a very decided attitude.

"Hmm? Yeah, of course." She kept her eyes closed and was halfway back to sleep.

"No, Mari, I'm serious." He squeezed her hand to rouse her a bit. "These last few weeks, you've been my rock, and I've relied on you to be my stability and voice of reason when this all had gotten too surreal. But it's not just me. You're as far into this as I am, and now you're life is also on the line...And I know it's a lot, and people at school were starting to give you shit about the Chloé thing...and...and I just wanted to check...in." He stopped himself, and Marinette lifted her head to turn and look at him. His face was earnest if not a bit uncertain. She supposed he was nervous she would take it the wrong way, they had never really explicitly talked about it before, but she knew he had some mental health problems right after his mom's disappearance, so he probably didn't want her to think he was calling her unstable.

"I appreciate the mental health check, chaton. I'm okay, though. Really. I'm just exhausted. I'm going to sleep and do nothing all weekend. Recharge. I promise that if that changes, though, I'll come talk to you." He seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.

"Good."

"You don't have to be nervous to talk to me about that."

"I know, it's just not natural for me still. It wasn't something my family ever talked about, and last year when my mom first disappeared...well I kinda felt attacked and accused of something taboo when someone was just trying to help me. Like they were saying something was wrong with me."

"There's nothing wrong with you. And I promise to not think you're calling me crazy when you're checking in. Mental health checks for everyone!" She leaned into his side, and pinched his side lightly making him chuckle. She laid back on his shoulder, but could feel his head turn and knew he was watching her, so instead, she scooted down and laid her head in his lap.

"If you're going to stare at me, then I'm going to stare at you," she huffed and he smiled, but didn't say she was wrong.

"It's not exactly my best angle...but I'll allow it." He winked down at her and she rolled her eyes.

"You have no bad angles, pretty boy."

"Have you ever seen me at a 20 degree angle from the left? Anton tells me it really is unflattering." She vaguely recognized that as the name of the photographer he usually worked with for his magazine shoots.

"Does it look… _cat_ -astrophic?"

He gasped dramatically. "Did you-did you just make a cat pun?" She merely giggled in response.

"I think I'm in love," he swooned dramatically and she swatted at his stomach with the back of her hand, still giggling, but he caught it.

She looked up, and his expression was suddenly tender and he spoke in a hoarse, but serious voice. "Actually, I don't just think. I know. I'm in love with you, Marinette Dupain-Cheng."

He stared down into her eyes, and she gripped the hand still holding hers and brought herself into a sitting position. Half-sitting in his lap, she reached up with her free hand and laid it against his cheek, chilled slightly by the night air.

"I'm in love with you too, Adrien Agreste."


	37. Chapter 37

Chapter 37

Chloé lounged around the mayoral office. It may be a Saturday, but these political types didn't know the meaning of relaxation. It worked to her benefit, in this case, but it also meant that she rarely saw her father if he weren't called in to fix some situation she had created. Another reason she liked playing the antagonist, but perhaps a less honorable reason.

She had her feet propped up on her father's assistant's desk, and was absentmindedly shaping her nails with a file. She had been dropping hints all day, but this man was so boringly vanilla. He defended her father at every turn, and refused to even complain the smallest bit about what she knew were some of her father's more irritating habits. She was inwardly pleased by the man's loyalty, though that didn't quite keep her from noting how much his gaunt face and large eyes reminded her of a confused lemur.

Finally, a flash of irritation flew across his face, but it was with her, and not in agreement with what she had just said about her father. He stood, seeming to try and draw himself up past his diminutive height, lifted his chin, and excused himself from the antechamber to the mayor's office. She sighed. This was taking forever. None of the aids she had talked to had shown the smallest bit of disloyalty. Frankly, it was abnormal for so many politicians. It was almost suspicious how loyal they all were. Just when she was about to call it a day, she saw a woman out of the corner of her eye. She recognized her as one of the senior optics advisors, and now that she thought of it, the woman had been lurking near Chloé for most of the day. Discreetly, of course, but it was too much of a coincidence that she happened to be within earshot of Chloé for the majority of the day.

Chloé closed her eyes, and threw her head back in not-so-mock exhaustion. Keeping her body posture open, she made herself look non-threatening and open; it tended to make people more likely to approach if you didn't look metaphorically closed off to them.

After a few moments, she heard the tentative click of the woman's heels as she approached. Chloé kept her expression carefully blank, but inwardly she smiled. People could be so predictable. Then she heard the chair the assistant had just vacated give the telltale squeak of someone sitting down. She opened her eyes and saw the woman regarding her. _Penelope_ , Chloé remembered was her name. She had definitely worked here long enough to know Germain, and she was a senior advisor, that definitely gave her enough influence over her father to point him in certain directions and enough trust to get valuable information to bring back to Germain.

After a few moments of silence, Chloé fell back into her old faithful bratty persona.

"Can I help you?" The woman didn't answer, so Chloé just rolled her eyes and went back to filing her nails. "Take a picture, it'll last longer," she sneered. She was worried her behavior all day may have started to look suspicious, so she slipped into her usual spoiled routine to put the woman at ease. People wanted to see what they expected, anything different tended to frighten them. The woman sat back in her chair: a good sign.

"You've been in quite a form today, haven't you? Everytime I turned around, there you were. Complaining about something new every time. Daddy issues?" Chloé noted with amusement a superior edge in her voice. This woman thought she had it all figured out: that Chloé was just a spoiled brat and potential pawn to be used. Good.

"And every time I turned, there you were to hear me complain. Stalker." Chloé paused and looked up from her nails. Widening her eyes and pursing her lips, she gave the women a look that clearly said _who's the weirdo here?_ before turning her attention back to her nails. She had gotten out her favorite midnight purple color and was painting her nails now. The woman crinkled her nose at the acrid scent, but said nothing. Couldn't let her feel _too_ comfortable.

"Besides, if you've met my father, you have your answer." She tried to put an appropriate amount of disdain in her voice. She had already called him incompetent and weak within this woman's ear shot multiple times that day. Repeating it would be redundant and potentially suspicious without provocation, so she held her tongue. Penelope just regarded her for a few minutes, and Chloé concentrated on her nails instead.

When she finished, the woman still hadn't spoken but was regarding her with a pensive expression. Wanting to speed up the process, she enlisted her best haggling technique: walk away.

"Wow," she got up and blew on her nails. "Great chat. Lets never do it again, okay?" She said in a false chipper voice and turned to leave.

"I have something that might be of interest to you." Penelope spoke up finally and Chloé half-turned back to her.

"I doubt you have anything I want." She flipped her ponytail and started to walk out again.

"No, but your uncle might." Chloé turned all the way around then, but kept a bored expression on her face.

"Why don't you just tell me whatever it is you're clearly _dying_ to say so we can speed up this whole tête-à-tête, mmmkay?" Penelope looked annoyed now, and got up indignantly. Quickly scribbling something on a post-it, she shoved it into Chloé's hand and walked out.

"Ugh! You smudged my nail!" Chloé called after her, partly keeping up her act but partly pissed that she'd have to start all over.

When the clicking down the hall echoed out of range, she looked down at the address she was holding with a time to meet of tomorrow at eight. Looks like their plans would have to move up a bit. She smiled.

Adrien's phone buzzed waking him from his cat-nap. It continued to beep as he stretched, arching his back and enjoying the burn and tension in his muscles. A hand reached out from next to him and started patting his head, in a sort of drunken manner.

"I'm not the alarm clock, Bugaboo." He leaned against the headboard and watched in amusement as she sat up like a bolt of lightning, ramrod straight. Her whole torso twisted to look at him, and she brought the comforter up to cover her face. He heard her muffled voice say something from beneath the duvet.

"What was that, Princess?" He used one finger to push the fluffy apparatus separating them down, and her disheveled bedhead reluctantly popped out. She flopped back onto her pillows.

"We need to stop accidentally falling asleep. My parents will kill me if they find us. Especially you." He eyes rolled towards him and briefly down to his bare chest before fixing decidedly on the top of his head as a safe place to look. He blushed a little and smirked, remembering how she brazenly took off his shirt before he slowed them down and they fell asleep.

"Aw, your parents love me." He smiled and leaned in to kiss her.

"Not _that_ much they don't." He spun around at the sound of the voice while simultaneously trying to grab the comforter cover his partial nakedness. The result of this maneuver landed him face-down on the floor with Marinette cackling hysterically on the bed. The voice walked over, and Alya smirked down at him.

"We've really got to stop meeting like this," he stated dryly, his voice muffled from the part of his face still smooshed to Marinette's bedroom floor. Alya just raised an eyebrow.

"Get dressed, lover boy. Chloé's got the in. Time to enact the plan."

That sobered Marinette up, and when Adrien righted himself, he saw her looking over with resigned expression. So much for their easy weekend.


	38. Chapter 38

Chapter 38

Alya watched Marinette pace. She would be amused if she herself weren't so worried. Still, it was interesting to see Marinette worry so much over a girl who, just a few weeks ago, she abhorred. Alya had become closer to Chloé too, but whatever happened between Marinette and Chloé that morning when Marinette told her everything, there was a new level of understanding between the two. Alya could see that Marinette still didn't complete trust Chloé with her full friendship, she was slightly on guard whenever Chloé's sass came out, but it was getting better. They tried to keep the new friendship between Chloé and their group on the down-low at school, but sometimes they would mutter inside jokes to each other while passing in the hall, or just look at each other in class and start laughing.

Alya liked Chloé, loathe as she was to admit it. She had become a part of their group, and if nothing else, she was a miraculous holder. She was one of them.

And right now, she was in the lion's den, and they had no idea what was happening.

They all were transformed, her and Ladybug on one rooftop, Chat and Honu across the street on another. Chloé said if anything happened, she would transform and call them. They had been playing with her powers in the last week and while somewhat disconcerting at first to have everyone's voice in her head, she had to admit it was handy. Marinette had voiced her concern at Chloé transforming in front of everyone, but Chloé had wryly responded that if she really needed help, revealing her identity would be the least of her problems.

So here they sat. Or, in Marinette's case, paced. They had watched her meet a woman, who presumably was Penelope, and walk into a highrise from a side alley entrance that led down into the basement. It was pretty shady, but Volpina kept that to herself lest Ladybug or Chat just decided to storm the place.

Chat was mirroring Ladybug on the opposite rooftop, though part of his anxiety was the possibility that his mother was being kept right there in that building too. Alya had tried to tell him that it would be highly unlikely that Germain would bring Chloé to the headquarters of whatever operation he was running without knowing he could trust her first. Then again, they were in the southern arrondissements, which matched where the photo that started this whole quest was developed. The what if persisted; so, Chat paced.

After twenty more minutes, and no smoke signal from Chloé, Ladybug sat down next to Volpina.

"You are infuriatingly calm." Volpina just smirked.

"I'm a reporter. I know how to wait for a story and the importance of a good stake-out." She bumped Ladybug's shoulder with her own. "It'll be fine. He's not going to hurt his own niece."

"I don't know if I believe that, but there's nothing we can do about it now. Pollen will come get us if it all goes really wrong, so I just need to not freak myself out." She looked over. "Distract me."

"Well, lucky for you, I happen to be a master illusionist."

"Is that so? Prove it."

So for the next half hour, Volpina created a miniature light show for Ladybug. She enjoyed practicing her powers, so she focused on the detail and intricacy of her images, having Ladybug play "spot the flaw" and point out things that gave her mirages away as fake.

"I can see you're just wracked with worry." Queen Bee's voice rung through their heads, starling Volpina so much she lost her grip on the illusion. Ladybug was standing in a second, and she spotted Queen Bee standing about two roofs away.

"What-" she began, but Queen Bee cut her off.

"Not here. Back at Adrien's. I'll meet you there. I need to make a stop first." Queen Bee was gone as soon as she appeared and Ladybug turned to Volpina. They motioned to the guys, who had also gotten the message, and they made their way towards the Agreste mansion.

Queen Bee burst through her balcony door and stalked over to her closet. Reaching up, she delicately grabbed and lowered a large hatbox. Taking care, she placed it on her bed and opened the lid. She lifted the tissue paper that protected the contents, clapped her hands to turn the lights on in the room, and hesitated.

She wasn't a sentimental person, but this box contained all the emotions she tried to push away. It was the physical representation of what she outwardly suppressed. She lifted the scarf that laid on top and lifted it to her nose. It still held the faint smell of her mother: lilac perfume and sugar cookies. Her mother loved to bake, and would make Chloé shortbread and hot chocolate every time she was sad or hurt. She had avoided and shunned both ever since, it was just too painful to think about. _Until recently_ , she thought, thinking to her new friends waiting her.

Carefully laying the scarf on the bed on top of the tissue paper, she started to go through the rest of the box's contents. Finally, she found some pictures of her parents from before she was born. She was pointlessly looking for some proof that what Germain claimed wasn't true. Though she sometimes was frustrated with her father, and thought he let people get away with too much-including her- he was a good man and he loved her enough for two parents. Chloé always missed her mother, but when it was just her and her father, she never felt like she was lacking any love. That's why Germain's truth-or at least his version of the truth-was so disturbing to her.

 _"Didn't you wonder why a woman like your mother only had one child? It clearly wasn't for financial reasons." Germain looked at her with what looked like a mix of pity and some bastardization of paternal love._

 _"You're my daughter, Chloé."_

Germain had tried to say it kindly, but she could clearly tell he was trying to manipulate her. He had known her as a child, but she'd grown far past the naivety and obliviousness he remembered her having. Nevertheless, she had to wonder. Her father and Germain didn't look much alike, but they were full-brothers, so it's very possible any resemblance she had to Germain was just because they were related.

She released her transformation, and Pollen nestled into her neck in an uncharacteristic show of compassion. She was usually more of the 'tough love' type, but even her kwami sensed the deep unrest in Chloé. She slid to the ground and leaned her back against her bed, trying to take in everything that Germain had said. Much to her annoyance, he had been more focused on their 'family reunion' than on sharing any useful information with her. Her logical mind told her that she could use this potentially deeper connection to her advantage; unfortunately, her logical mind wasn't at the forefront right now.

He claimed, that her father couldn't have children because of some unfortunate boating accident when they were boys, and when he and her mother wanted children, Germain stepped up to help. According to him, her parents suddenly cut him out of their lives and refused to let him see Chloé anymore.

"I just wanted to be in your life," he said, a tortured look in his eye. "But they shunned me and separated us without cause. Out of jealousy."

She had watched as a flare of anger sparked in his eyes and realized immediately that this man was not stable. It didn't mean that he was lying, though. She sighed, feeling like her entire life had been a sham. She didn't believe for a minute that her parents had acted purely out of jealousy. Her father may be a bit gullible at times, but he was always logical and never irrational. As for her mother, where did you think she'd picked up her uncanny perception? If they pushed Germain away from Chloé, there was a reason. Her rational brain told her it didn't matter if it was true, and it made sense that her father never told her. It shouldn't matter. André was her father in every way that counted. Still, she didn't like being in the dark and was worried about how Germain might use this information to manipulate her.

Feeling irrationally emotional, she pulled her knees up to her chest. Resting her head on her knees she allowed herself a rare indulgence and she began to sob. That was how her father found her about ten minutes later.

He'd knocked on the door and peeked his head in.

"I thought I heard you rummaging around in here-" He broke off and the jovial smile he had worn when he walked in disappeared from his face as he saw her. He was unaccustomed to seeing Chloé like this, but reacted the way any parent would when their child was in distress. Crossing the room in three large strides, he was by her side and gathered her into his arms. She clung to the lapels of his suit jacket.

"What is it, ma petite chou?"

She laughed, pulling back and wiping her eyes. Her father hadn't called her that in a while, and it was more comforting than she thought hearing the old term of endearment.

"Oh," she said wiping his coat, "I got makeup on your jacket." He made a dismissive gesture.

"You can buy me another. I'm sure you'll find something far more fashionable anyway. Now come. Tell me." He led her to her sitting area, and they sat in the twin chairs facing the fireplace.

She hesitated, wondering how to ask him without giving away what she had been up to. She knew she would tell him one day, but worried about him getting hurt if he were involved too soon. She decided to go for a very redacted version of the truth.

"I ran into someone today. Uncle Germain." Her father's face looked stricken. There was no other word for it.

"My brother, Germain." He wasn't asking, more like processing what she had just dropped on him. She nodded, but remained silent until her father finally turned to look at her. "So you know then."

That was it. Tears started to run down her face at his confirmation. A part of her already knew. She could usually tell when people were lying, and Germain was using the truth to manipulate her, a tactic she knew well. She just hadn't wanted to believe it.

Her father didn't try to comfort her with words of 'don't worry' or 'it'll be alright'. He just reached over and took her hand. She looked over at him.

"You're my dad." She was surprised by the vehemence in her own voice, like she was daring him to disagree. He only smiled, but then she added, more softly, "you should have told me."

He nodded. "I wanted to. It's important to know your own story, but your mother was adamant that you never know. She had that way about her...she just had gut feelings." He smiled over at her. "You do that too, you know. You'll meet someone and get the same look in your eye that she did. As if you can see their past, present and future and all they did was shake your hand." He laughed, lost in a reminiscence for a while and stared at the leaping flames. "And then when she got sick, and.." he trailed off. Seven years, and he still couldn't talk about her death. They both couldn't. Better to focus on her life, and Chloé had no problem with that. Her father turned back to her. "I couldn't bring myself to disrespect her wishes. And honestly a part of me didn't want you to know either. I wanted to be your only papa." He shrugged lightly, but she could tell that this weighed heavily on him.

"You are my only papa. He's just some estranged uncle." She watched as her words had a visible effect on her father, as if his entire being became ten pounds lighter in the matter of a few moments.

He smiled brightly now, and then his face became thoughtful. "This calls for a special toast, I think." He walked over the the phone by the door and quickly murmured something to the front desk. A few minutes later, a waiter arrived with a covered plate. He muttered his thanks and set it down on the table between the two chairs.

"Bon appetit!" He said and lifted the lid with a flourish to reveal a plate of shortbread cookies and two hot chocolates. She smiled up at him.

"Mom would approve."

"She'd be so proud of you, ma petite chou."

"Thanks, papa."

That night, after he father had left and she made her way to the Agrestes, she was resolved in what she had to do.

Germain was going down.


	39. Chapter 39

Chapter 39

When Adrien woke up, his first thought was his back hurt. His second was _oh shit!_ He noticed the angle of the sun, remembered that it was a Monday, and noticed that the majority of the front of the class was still asleep in his room. He looked over to see Marinette and Alya still asleep in his bed and Nino on the couch. He was even more surprised to see a third lump with a mess of blonde hair also in his bed wedged against Marinette's side. He was mildly alarmed that he hadn't woken up at all when Chloé came in, but she knew her way around, so she likely didn't make much noise.

He looked over at the clock and noted that it thankfully wasn't as late as he thought and they could maybe still make it on time. He pushed Nino awake first before going to rouse the girls. The next few minutes were a flurry of activity. After a brief fight over the bathroom was resolved by Adrien pointing out that there literally were enough bathrooms in the house for each of them, they split up and hurried to get ready. A record five minutes later, all five were in the foyer, when Marinette realized she was missing all her school stuff. It hadn't occurred to anyone until now. So much for their mad dash not to be late.

At this moment Gabriel walked through with a mischevious smirk on his face. "I'll give you all a good excuse to be late. Now off you go!" He made a shooing gesture and walked towards the stairs to his studio. They all looked at each other quizzically, but walked outside anyway and headed towards school, planning a route that would take them by each of their houses first.

Then, in the distance they heard the unquestionable sound of an akuma attack. Marinette laughed out loud, realizing what his father had meant a few moments ago.

"I could get used to this!" She turned and smiled at Adrien, and they all transformed and ran into the action.

Thirty minutes later, they were loaded with their school stuff and walked into class, claiming they had met for breakfast but were stuck because of the akuma attack. Ms. Bustier was sympathetic and got them caught up. They had missed the pop quiz, but they could take it tomorrow. With an extra day to prepare.

"Thanks, Hawkmoth!" Alya giggled under her breath and she winked at Marinette. There were some perks, she chuckled to herself settling into her desk.

They didn't get a chance to talk at lunch. Chloé still sat with Sabrina, and they didn't want to freak everyone out too much by suddenly changing up the status quo, so they were left to wonder what Chloé had discovered-and where she disappeared off to-until after school.

Gabriel had to work late, so they met at Marinette's this time. They'd update their favorite resident villain later. The Dupain-Chengs welcomed the unexpected brood of teenagers in true baker fashion: they loaded them up with food. They were noticeably surprised to see Chloé included in the group, but concentrated their energy on going through every pastry with her. They had dedicated to memory each of Marinette's friend's favorite treats, and Chloé would be no different.

When she settled on a lemon danish, they each walked away with their own horde upstairs towards the apartment.

"You sure have had a lot of group projects lately." Sabine looked at Marinette with an eyebrow raised. Gabriel had been calling every time the teens had unexpectedly spent the night claiming it was for some project they were working on.

"Oh, it's really just been one long project. It's..a final portfolio of work?" Despite her best efforts, Marinette was a horrible liar, especially with her parents. While her papa may have just shrugged and walked away, her mother was not as simple.

"You know you can tell me anything, right honey?" Her mom looked at her and in that moment she would have swore that her mom knew. Before she could dwell on that thought, her mother winked and shooed her upstairs to her friends. "Go on now. Go save Paris, or whatever this top secret project is you're working on." She laughed her tinkling laugh and rejoined Tom in the kitchen.

Marinette just stood on the step for a moment, her jaw open as she watched the retreating form of her Maman. _No_ , she thought, _she wouldn't let her teenage daughter swing from rooftops as a masked superhero. She doesn't know_. Still, Marinette would have to be careful around her parents. A part of her just wanted to tell them. Seeing Adrien be so open with his father, she was a little jealous. Obviously their situation was different, because both of them held miraculous, but the sentiment remained. If only she could be sure that her parents wouldn't try and stop her…

The platter she was holding became too much so she hefted it higher and trudged back up the stairs.

Sabine came back out to wipe down the tables just as Marinette walked out of sight. She shook her head. She'd had her suspicions, but as soon as she'd seen Marinette and Adrien together, there was no doubt in her mind who the masked duo truly were. She'd gotten over the jumping off buildings and running into danger thing, but those two were scheming something else now.

She pursed her lips and looked through the doorway where her only child had just disappeared. "Be careful, baobei."

She started to tidy up; picking up trash and wiping down the counter when she saw an old photograph lying on the ground near the register. Drying her hands, she reached for it and saw it contained a much younger version of the mayor and a woman with startling blonde hair that must be Chloé's mother. Next to them stood another man. Leaner than Mayor Bourgeois and shorter, but with a similar build and the same eyes. Perhaps his brother.

Sabine looked at the man again, recognizing something else about him, but she couldn't quite place him. At that moment Tom came out with a fresh batch of croissants for the display and he looked over her shoulder at the picture.

"Oh! Two baguettes and a lemon tart." He chuckled to himself and went back to what he was doing. Sabine looked up at him, startled. That's how she knew the man. Tom had a tendency of remembering people only by their order, but he was right. The man had been a regular for about a year now. He came in twice a week and ordered two baguettes and a lemon tart every time. Monsieur… Germain. Yes, that was it.

She smiled over at her husband and walked upstairs to give the photo to Chloé, who must have dropped it. Halfway up the steps to Marinette's room she stopped, hearing voices.

 _"Your father?"_ Alya's voice was incredulous.

 _"My biological father, nothing more."_ Chloé responded, her voice dangerous, as if daring Alya to say differently.

 _"But, Chloé,"_ her daughter's voice rung out, and she could tell Marinette was trying to keep the conversation peaceful. She smiled, remembering herself using that voice on her daughter many times. _"Are you sure you want to do this? I mean, that's a lot. I would understand if now you don't feel comfortable lying to-"_

 _"No,"_ Chloé cut her off. _"As far as I'm concerned, he's just some distant relative, and if my mother thought it best to cut off connections with him completely, then there was a serious reason. He's behind this whole thing with Adrien's mom and his threats are increasing, he's started making threats against us, and he needs to be stopped. I have no sentimentality about this, I assure you."_

The room was silent for a few moments and Sabine's mind started racing. What were they planning and what did it have to do with Adrien's mother? She knew the media believed that Adela Agreste had run away from her husband and wasn't truly a missing person, but knowing Adrien, Sabine had always assumed that Mrs. Agreste had been killed and unfortunately her body had never been found. The way Chloé spoke about her, it sounded like she was in danger, meaning she was alive and perhaps...being held hostage? This was the project they'd been working on? A group of high school students?

She vaguely heard a male voice ask a question, but she couldn't place it as Nino or Adrien. Then her daughter spoke again.

 _"Sure, Plagg. Give me a second."_

 _Plagg? Who was Plagg?_ The questions were just piling up. When Marinette opened the hatch and saw her mother standing there, she froze. She looked down to what her mother was holding and she squeaked, obviously recognizing the photo.

"All of you, living room, now. We need to have a talk." Sabine stared at her daughter as the others heard the command and gathered behind her, all looking down at Sabine.

"Okay, Maman."


	40. Chapter 40

Chapter 40

Marinette walked tensely while her friends filed down the stairs behind her. Situating themselves on the couch, her mother told them to wait while she got her father and put Aimee, the assistant, at the front for a bit.

The moment she had gone, Marinette turned to her friends.

"Where did this photo come from?" She waved the picture of Chloé's parents and Germain in the air, and Chloé sheepishly raised her hand.

"I must've dropped it downstairs. I thought it might be useful as a reference to what he looks like...but wait. How did your mom know who it was?"

That brought Marinette up short. The Alya piped in.

"Yeah, does she know what we're doing?

"Does she know you're Ladybug?" Nino also asked.

Marinette felt like she was being bombarded from all sides. She tried to think if there was anything she had said or done that would have given her away. She was always extremely careful with her identity because she didn't want her parents to be indirectly in danger because of her and also because she didn't want them to try and stop her.

"I-I dont-"

"Does it matter?" Adrien asked from next to her, grabbing her hand in his. "Maybe you should tell them, even if they don't know. I...I think they'd understand." He knew she hated lying to them, and it would be simpler if they knew…

She looked up as her parents walked in, and meeting her mom's eyes, she could tell immediately. They knew.

"How…" she broke off, not quite knowing how to ask. He mom just smiled and sat next to her.

"Oh honey," she smoothes the hair back from her face. "I had a feeling. Even in a mask, it's hard not to recognize my own daughter. Then," she started to laugh. "Then Ladybug almost accidentally called me 'mom' and there was no doubt." She continued to chuckle and Marinette cringed, remembering vividly the akuma attack when she and Chat took refuge in the bakery and Ladybug tried to cover her slip withe the word 'madame' instead. Her father brought over some tea and biscuits. His motto in any uncomfortable situation was 'more food' and he was fiddling with arrangements.

"Papa?" she asked and he looked up at her and sat back in his favorite chair with a sigh.

"It must be mother's intuition, because I was completely oblivious. This one though!" He pointed at Adrien, who looked startled to have the large man addressing him in an excited manner. "He is _so_ Chat Noir. I said it the minute I saw you two together. Didn't I, Sabi?"

"Yes, dear," her mother said in a placating manner. "And now, here we are and I have not one, not two, but five masked vigilantes of Paris sitting on my couch." She raised an eyebrow.

"Five?" Alya asked, a clear challenge. No one knew about Chloé, so even if her mother had placed the rest of them there was no way…

"Five," her mother repeated, smirking at Alya. Despite not knowing each other long, her mother and Alya got along like family. They liked debating and gossiping over celebrity culture while Marinette got absorbed in one of her designs. Ladybug and Chat Noir had been a topic more than once, and they fell right back into their old analysis of the miraculous holders effortlessly. "There are four I can place, and Chloé, dear," she turned to the nearest member. "I'm assuming your recent addition to this group makes you number five?"

"Guilty," she shrugged sheepishly in Marinette's direction.

"Alright," Sabine sat back and looked at each teen. "Tell me what you're up to and why I shouldn't stop you."

It was Nino's idea to call Gabriel. They had made it halfway through their story when they realized they were missing an integral piece to their group. He arrived about twenty minutes later, the perfect businessman coming directly from work, but Adrien watched with a smile as he was enveloped into the Dupain-Cheng household warmly like an old friend.

After Marinette's parents had stopped gushing about how much they loved his son and his dad stopped going on about how happy he was to know Marinette, the three parents finally sat down. Marinette's face was bright red, and if the heat of his own face was any indication, he was sure together they made a nice pair of tomatoes. Alya picked up the most recent part of the story, managing to give the gist of it through her laughter at the two of them.

When everyone was caught up, including the current plan of action, they all seemed to release a collective sigh of relief.

"I'm not sure if I'm more proud of you all or angry that you're putting yourselves in such danger." Sabine sighed and turned to place her hand on Marinette's cheek. "I would try to stop you, but that would be dishonorable. _You are a warrior_." She said the last part to her daughter in Chinese, and kissed her forehead.

" _Yes, and she is the fiercest of us all_." Adrien responded also in Chinese and grabbed Marinette's hand. Marinette looked between the two of them, completely oblivious as the what was happening, but somehow knowing that they were talking about her. The happy surprise on her mother's face could have been from Adrien's easy response in Chinese, or whatever he had said, but she didn't have time to question them.

"Maman," Marinette cut in, bringing the conversation back to French, loathe as she was to break them both out of their little bonding moment. "If you aren't going to try and stop me, then what did you need to talk about?"

"Other than thinking it was about time there were no more secrets in this house," she looked at her daughter pointedly and Marinette grimaced a bit, "I know this man." She picked up the picture she was holding earlier and pointed to Germain. "Or, I should say, we do." She gestured to Tom and herself.

"Wait, what?" Chloé asked abruptly. Adrien could tell that she had zoned off during the conversation, and they had nearly lost her completely when they started speaking Chinese, but that roused her. "You know my...uncle?" She struggled over the word, and Adrien could tell that the revelation of the night before would take a while to get over, no matter how blasé about it she was currently acting.

"Yes, dear. He buys baguettes twice a week."

"Three times," Tom corrected. He had been so silent during most of the conversation that, despite his daunting stature, Adrien had almost forgot he was there.

"What?" Sabine looked confused. "No, he comes in Monday and Thursday around second batch."

"And he has a standing order for delivery on Saturday. Aimee usually takes care of it. Baguettes and a pastry mix. Like he's having a party or meeting."

Tom said this offhandedly, but the rest of them looked at each other.

"That's it, Papa!" Marinette flew at her father and kissed his cheek. Then, she turned around and looked at them all.

"They all gather on Saturdays. And we deliver there!" A bubble of laughter poured out of her at how serendipitous it all was. "Does he have an order placed for this Saturday, Papa?" She turned to her father.

"Yeah, a big one too. It's that large order, Sabi. A platter set to be delivered at closing I think. So around 3?"

"That's when we get her," Marinette breathed. "When they're all in one place, that's when we go get Adela."

"We still need more information before we stage any kind of take down," Nino cautioned

"But I'm not talking a take down yet. Yeah, he still plans to overthrow Mayor Bourgeois, but we have other goals, too. Chloé, when are you planning to see him again?"

"He gave me his number. I told him I needed time to process everything he told me." Chloé rolled her eyes. "I can text him tonight, maybe meet tomorrow? Why? What are you thinking."

"I'm thinking Adela has been under lock-and-key for far too long. If you can figure out where they're holding her, I think it's time for a prison break. What do you say?" She looked over at Adrien. He was trying not to get his hopes up too much, but Marinette wouldn't say this if she didn't have a gut feeling about this. He chose to trust his Lucky charm.

"Let's do it."


	41. Chapter 41

Chapter 41

Adrien felt antsy and useless all week. He an Marinette were rarely apart, and usually with Alya and Nino as well. None of them intentionally planned to do this, but in the back of all of their minds was the idea that being together would make it easier to react as quickly as possible. While they sat uselessly, Chloé was spending her evenings in the middle of the viper's nest. The rest of them being together would cut down the time to assemble should she send up a metaphorical "bat signal". So they waited.

Chloé was more than capable of taking care of herself, and Adrien knew her too well to worry that Germain would manipulate her through the biological connection they had. Adrien knew that. Chloé knew that. Germain didn't know that, and that was what they were all counting on. Hopefully Chloé would be able to gain his trust enough to find out where his mom was being held.

Now Friday night, they all were getting anxious. Two nights ago, Chloé had stopped by Marinette's where they all were to give a quick update even though she looked exhausted.

 _"I'm getting close," she said through a yawn. "He lets me wander around the building without an escort now and will send me to get people for him. I know the lay of the place, so Marinette, I'll go through that with you tomorrow and we can create some mock blueprints in case Adela is actually somewhere in the building." She paused to yawn again as Marinette nodded at her. "I found a few locked rooms, so we'll mark those too. I don't think Adela's being kept there though. It's not guarded and I've heard him get calls and talk briefly about a woman; so, I think she's being held elsewhere, even though that video your dad got was definitely from this headquarters." She shivered, and looked over at Adrien._

Adrien had a chill go through him too. The rest of them had not seen the entirety of the video, but Chloé had requested to. She had wanted to take in any detail that might be useful and to remind herself of who this man was, if ever she felt the sway of his influence. She had told Adrien privately that Gabriel's description of Germain as charismatic was an understatement.

 _"I would never admit this to the others, because the last thing they need is any reason to doubt me, but I can see how he's amassed such a following. When he talks, you just want to believe him." She laughed mirthlessly. "If I didn't know better I'd say he had some sort of superpower himself. No wonder he wanted to capture Adela's miraculous. With her added power over emotion, they would have been unstoppable." They had looked at each other, fear evident in their eyes at the prospect of that outcome._

He sighed. He was resolving himself the dashed hope of rescuing his mother this week. It was too much to ask that Chloé figure it all out in less than 5 days. She was good, but surely Germain wasn't stupid enough to give up the information that they needed to someone who was basically a stranger to him, even if they shared the same blood.

He looked across the room, and saw Nino with his headphones on, music blasting and oblivious to the world, and Alya typing away at his computer, no doubt using some of her "insider's knowledge" to update the Ladyblog. He looked down at Marinette next to him dozing lightly on the couch and smiled reaching down and pushing her bangs back from her eyes. She was only taking up half the couch, so He curled up in the opposite direction and layed down on the pillow she was using, his forehead just touching the back of her head. Reaching up, he grasped one of her hands that was tucked under the pillow, and her fingers gripped his as he fell asleep.

The smack of metal and the dull reverberation of glass startled Marinette from her nap and she was awake and standing in the matter of seconds. She started to yell fo Tikki to transform, when she caught sight of Queen Bee who was standing up from her hasty, and probably less than graceful, entrance. Marinette was sorry she had missed her tumbling entrance, but then she saw Queen Bee's face. It wasn't the forlorn expression she had worn the last few nights when she had come to give them a debrief. Instead it was a panic-tinged excitement overlaying something that looked like hope. Without looking, she nudged Adrien's head, amazed at that boy's ability to sleep through anything and waved her arms in the direction of Alya and Nino, who were both wearing noise canceling headphones and caught completely unawares.

They all gathered on the couch as Queen Bee caught her breath, Adrien was still rubbing the sleep from his eyes and Nino still had the half-dazed look he got when his mind was abruptly pulled from some mix he was working on. Chloé sat down, releasing her transformation as she did, and Adrien ran to his mini-fridge to grab juice for Pollen and water for Chloé.

"Chlo, what happened?" Marinette was beginning to get worried seeing the state Chloé was in. She was out of breath and a bit disheveled, very out of character for the meticulously kept fashionista, but then her face broke out into a grin.

"I got it!" She held up a crumpled piece of paper that Marinette had not noticed before. Clutched in her hand and wrinkled from the wind, Chloé set her treasure down on the table triumphantly and took the glass of water from Adrien. While she guzzled it down, Nino picked up the paper from the table and tried to make sense of it.

"It's an invoice…"He hesitated, reading it further. "It's expenses for an apartment? And it looks like three people?" He looked up at Chloé for further explanation as he handed the paper down for Alya to inspect. Chloé nodded.

"Adela and two security guards." She paused, and then settled herself more comfortable in the chair to tell the whole story. "So I was basically doing messenger stuff for Penelope. For as much as Germain claims to want to get to know me, I see him for about five minutes every night for tea and to exchange pleasantries before he excuses himself and then has Penelope put me to work. I swear he just wants to manipulate me to hurt my father, but whatever." She rolled her eyes. Marinette could tell that she was insulted by his underestimation of her intelligence and angry at his targeting her father. She didn't see any pain in her eyes though, and was glad that Germain wasn't managing to manipulate Chloé. As strong as she was, Marinette knew that the blonde still had feelings, and family was family. No matter how horrible they were and whether or not you've disowned them, there's still a part that recognizes them as blood. Chloé continued, "I have an 'eye for design' he claims and has me running errands and consulting with Penelope on the design for this party he is throwing on Saturday. Although," she paused, considering. "Party probably isn't the best word for it. It's not quite a rally, but it's like a campaign banquet or event. He intends to make a speech and the invite list has a ton of prominent businessmen and second-rate politicians. The ones from the minority party who don't support the mayor." She huffed and flicked her hair off her shoulder.

Glad that she was acting more like herself, Marinette turned her attention to Alya, who was still looking over the invoice. Alya looked up and met her eyes before looking over at Chloé.

"But how do you know this is Adela and two guards? I give you it's at least two people, possibly three. There is at least a man and a woman from the objects listed as expenses, and the amount of food and one bedroom makes it unlikely there are more than three people, but what made you jump to Adela?" She readjusted her glasses on her nose and stared at Chloé.

"He slipped." Chloé said simply and crossed her arms over her chest. Only a friend could see the small, self-satisfied smirk playing at the corner of her lips. "I was in his office gathering an updated guest list he had confirmed so I could edit the placecards and seating chart and was going through some files he gave me from a previous assistant about the venue and caterer. I had only been there a few minutes, but he had been distracted when I walked in and the cabinet I was going through hid me from the line of sight from his desk. So someone knocked, and he called them in and they started discussing some expenses." She pointed to the sheet in Alya's hand. "That's an old one I was able to swipe. Once I knew there was a paper trail I quickly looked through the cabinet I was in, and sure enough it was under misc." She allowed herself to look smug for a moment.

Marinette made a circular motion with her hands as if to say get on with it. Chloé rolled her eyes at her, but then both girls looked over and saw the single-minded concentration of Adrien's face and Chloé continued.

"The guy said, verbatim, 'Our guest is getting more and more restless, sir' and then something along the lines of her being disrespectful and belligerent-"

"Her?" Adrien cut in.

"Her." Chloé nodded. "They definitely referred to their guest as a female. And then," she paused, but forced herself to continue. "Then," she said more softly, "Germain said to do what they thought necessary, but no scars."

Adrien just stared straight ahead, not seeing anyone. Chloé and Marinette looked at each other worriedly. They all knew from the video that Adela had been beaten, and as sick as it made them, they hoped that was the worst of it.

Marinette wanted desperately to comfort Adrien in some way, to grab his hand at least, but he seemed to be in shock and she didn't want to rouse him, or be rejected. She didn't know what he needed. At long last, after what seemed like hours, he reached over and clasped Marinette's hand as if his life depended on it. She held it between hers and squeezed just as tightly. He looked at Chloé.

"What does this mean?" His voice was a coarse whisper.

"It mean's we can save her." Chloé answered just as lowly, and then Alya gasped from their right. Adrien's head swiveled to stare at her and Alya looked up from the document.

"The name." She cleared her throat. "The apartment name is on here." Chloé nodded at her.

"We know where Adela is. We know where your mom is, Adrien."


	42. Chapter 42

Chapter 42

Gabriel's reaction was less composed than Adrien's when they told him. Adrien had cracked and allowed silent tears to slip down his face, thanking Chloé quietly, but there was still reservation in his eyes. He didn't dare to hope too much until they had successfully brought Adela back. Gabriel, on the other hand, was exuberant.

Apparently the Agreste boys liked keeping her on her toes, because Marinette had not been expecting that reaction from either of them. Maybe the reverse reactions, actually. Nonetheless, the Agrestes were varying degrees of hopeful, and the plan was made to stage a rescue attempt on Saturday night during the banquet. Chloé, of course, would be in attendance as to not arouse suspicion, but the rest of the miraculous holders would search the apartment complex Adela was in. It would be more difficult, they had all gotten used to having easy communication with Queen Bee's powers, but they had agreed that whatever team found Adela would call for backup the old way and they'd tackle it together. They knew there were at least two security guards and odds were they were expecting the power of a miraculous holder if any rescue attempt ever did happen, so it would be best if they were all there.

That was the easy part. They all decided, and went their separate ways for the night, getting home relatively early at nine. The true battle was convincing her parents.

Marinette was pleasantly surprised at how well her parents had accepted her boyfriend. She was even more surprised with how they had accepted her masked-vigilante status. While more hesitant, they had given her their blessing to help Adrien and Gabriel find Adela. Any normal teenager would be due for a major freak out at this point, except her parents surprised her again. They were hesitant and worried, but knew that it wasn't any more dangerous than what she'd been doing for the last year. Their one request was that they all reconvene at their place after it was over. They said it was more conveniently located than the Agreste mansion and safer if someone went to look for Adela, but Marinette knew their primary reason was so they wouldn't have to wait to make sure they were all okay.

Marinette felt tears start to fall down her face. She let all the stress fall away in her parent's presence and had never been more grateful for these two people that created her, physically and emotionally, than she was right at that moment. She had never fully appreciated the depth of their selflessness until then. They trusted and loved her, even when she was unsure and even though she had lied to them. She was putting them at danger just by being Ladybug, but here they stood, loving her and accepting her and inviting even more potential danger into their home because they loved and accepted her friends too.

Her Papa's arms came around her then and she felt her mother's cool hand against her cheek, soothing away the tears.

"Baobei" her mother said, just as her father said, "mon trésor" and the three of them laughed. It'd been a joke since she was young for them to give her the same nicknames in their native languages.

"I love you guys so much." She wiped her tears and her father kissed her forehead.

"I think this sobfest needs chocolate." He marched off determinedly towards the kitchen and Marinette chuckled watching him go as her mother came to her side. The slightly shorter woman stood close and wrapped her arm around Marinette's waist.

"Be careful, my child." She kissed the top of her daughter's head and Marinette tilted her head to lean it against her mother's.

"I always am."

The next night Marinette stood in Chloé's room as she got ready for the had decided that they should go over everything once again just before the event itself. Having a bunch of friends over might seem out of the ordinary for Chloé, and Penelope and a few others were still in residence at the Grand Paris presumably keeping an eye on Chloé; so, they decided it would be less suspicious for a solitary friend to come over and help her get ready. Chloé had asked Marinette to come, and she would transform and relay any message to everyone else.

The banquet was black tie, but that was no obstacle for Chloé's wardrobe. Marinette watched in fascination as Chloé applied makeup, did her hair and laid out various accesories trying to come up with a combination she approved of. It was frankly mesmerizing. As a designer, Marinette could truly appreciate Chloé's eye for detail and quality. The blonde settled on a one shoulder satin gown that was a shimmering champagne color with an ethereal chiffon overlay that made her look equal part Egyptian queen and part Greek muse. Her hair was gathered into a low bun skewed slightly towards the side, and pale bronze makeup accented her eyes. Large topaz earrings dangled from her ears, and a couple of diamond encrusted gold bangles finished off her look. She opted for flat strappy sandals, which grated at her, but they both agreed that heels would not be ideal if she needed to make a quick escape, besides it went with the vaguely grecian theme that seemed to be going on tonight and with Marinette on hand, she had a quick temporary hem to shorten the gown for the night. Chloé most certainly looked like she'd been touched by Midas.

"I'm nervous." Chloé blurted out suddenly as she fiddled with loose pieces of her hair.

"Me too." Marinette admitted. "But as long as everything goes as planned, you'll just have to smile and nod. You should be-"

"I'm not nervous for me." Chloé looked at her as if it should be obvious. "You all are facing armed guards. I just have to smile and look pretty. Trust me, I can handle that." Chloé muttered the last part to herself, less like a brag, and more like she had resolved herself to that fate in life. "He's not going to be right tonight. You need to watch out for him."

Chloe met her eyes in the mirror and Marinette knew exactly who they were talking about. If she had said this two weeks ago, Marinette would have been offended and probably would have responded in anger, but now things were different. Chloé and she understood each other, and Marinette knew without a doubt what she was saying. Adrien was keeping it together, and if there was a battle she knew she could count on Chat like she always did, but if something had happened to his mother…

"He's my first priority," Marinette admitted to Chloé. It sounded awful, but if it came down to it, she was getting Chat, Volpina and Honu out of there. She'd never asked for it, but she wielded the oldest miraculous and had become an impromptu leader in battle when needed because of it. They were a team, but when a decision really needed to be made, the other looked to her without question. Even Chloé. "But I think we can do this. The information you got us is good, and they don't know we're coming. Tonight is our best shot."

Chloé stared at her for another moment and then nodded. "Okay, go ahead."

Marinette transformed and opened her yoyo to video chat with the others. They all were waiting and after planning to meet, and giving Chloé a timetable of when the latest they would be at Marinette's by, they hung up.

Marinette released her transformation to walk out the way she came in, but before she left she turned to Chloé.

"Even if we get her out early, you need to stay at the event as long as possible. He needs to see that you're there so he doesn't connect you to us. But if he does, you transform and run. Do not try to be a hero. I'd rather your cover be blown than have you captured too."

Before Chloé could remark on Marinette's unexpected show of emotion towards her, Marinette gave her a brief but fierce hug and was in the elevator.

Chloé stood shocked, but smiling. She faced the night with newfound determination to distract Germain. She finally had friends she could truly trust, and she'd be damned if some deranged sperm-donor or his lackeys touched a hair on their heads.


	43. Chapter 43

Chapter 43

Nino was tapping nervously against his thigh in an imaginary beat only he could hear. He was driving Alya crazy.

They had all separated onto different rooftops, each one facing a different side of the apartment building, and were waiting for 8:15 to come. Chloé said that was when Germain was due to give his speech, so their best bet would be to hit then when he was unable to handle whatever "situation" they might cause. Apparently his security staff and lackeys were loyal, but unimaginative and, without direction, could be downright stupid. This analysis of their intellect came from Chloé, mind, but still it was their best source.

She could make out a clock tower in the distance as it struck 8:15 and she looked over to Ladybug and Chat. They were huddled in discussion, and not making a move. Alya started to become anxious. How long would a speech last? Ten minutes at least, but no more than thirty. She looked back over after checking and seeing that a few more minutes had lapsed and saw Ladybug holding Chat's hand as they threw her yoyo and swung onto the next building. Volpina and Honu lept into action.

The plan was to check the building from the outside. Chat had the north, Ladybug had the east, Volpina and Honu had the south and Hawkmoth had the west. Hopefully they would be able to see where she was from the window. If not, they had all memorized a blueprint of the building that she had gotten her hands on-don't ask how-and would check all the listed one-bedrooms until they found her.

They slowly made their way down the building. Alya tried to remind herself that this was for a good reason to make herself feel like less of a hopeful voyeur. Unfortunately, most of the windows had curtains and about half were closed shut. About halfway through their search, Ladybug called them and they all met on the roof.

"We didn't think this through," she had a hand covering half her face. "There has to be a better way."

"The kwamis," Nino said suddenly. "That's how you broke into the safe the first time right?" He looked at Adrien who blushed and steadfastly avoided his father's eyes. Nino continued, "I'll detransform-I can't fly or swing or vault or whatever so I'm useless right now anyway-and Wayzz can do a search. And Chat and Volpina!" he shouted a little too loudly for an undercover mission, "you can use your enhanced hearing. We'll go to the one-bedroom apartments and the kwamis will check it out when you hear something."

"Works for me," Ladybug nodded and released her transformation. "Tikki and I will go with Chat. You and Volpina take Hawkmoth." She looked meaningfully at her friend and Alya got the message. Marinette had told her she was worried about how the Agrestes would react, so keeping them separate would keep emotion from interfering with this rescue mission too much. She could handle Adrien, but if Gabriel started to break down or got angry, she didn't know what she would do.

Alya nodded at her, and once Nino had released his transformation, they split up and started the search again.

Adela sat in silence, like always, trying to meditate. She'd lost track of time, but she thought it had been over a year since she'd been under Germain's "care". At first he'd let her go out, heavily guarded of course, but after one too many attempts to get a message to Gabe, he shut that down too. He had tried to break her, but he only managed to make her pissed.

She was angry at herself, of course. She felt weak for allowing this to happen. Some miraculous holder she turned out to be. She was just happy that she managed to save Duusu. No doubt Gabe or Fu had found her, but even if they didn't, she was still better off than being in Germain's hands. What he had planned for her old friend...she shuttered. Better to be free. After months of attempting to manipulate her mentally, Germain decided brute force would be more useful. Besides, he needed her to "put on a show" for her family. He was careful to never hit hard enough to break anything, but still the feeling of being restrained-because of course the coward tied her up so she couldn't fight back-while someone beat you unconscious was not something she wished to repeat; so she played along.

It had been approximately two months since that day, and though the bruises had healed, she pretended to be to be broken. It wasn't hard, she missed her family with a fierceness she never imagined, and finally allowed herself to cry for the situation she found herself in and the danger her son and Gabe may be in. Her captors had softened. They started letting things slip and talked more openly around her. It wasn't a lot, but Adela accumulated everything, storing it safely in the back of her head for later. One day she would be free and Germain would pay for what he did to her family, but for now, she would act the victim.

That was until a week or two ago. Something changed, and Adela could only imagine Germain's plan was being set into motion. The guards she had for more than a year changed, and larger more aggressive men were put in their place. She heard snippets of their grumblings and learned that Paris had acquired two new superheroes. She knew what Germain was making Gabe do, but she had heard Chat Noir and Ladybug were back through some old newspapers left laying around. While she doubted they were her old friends, it gave her comfort to see that the mantle had been passed to a new generation, even though seeing them gave her a bittersweet pang in her chest.

The new security caused problems though. She naively realized that she had begun to think of her old security as some type of friends. They allowed her a certain degree of freedom, and despite being her prison guards, they were kind. One benefit to this change up was it snapped her out of whatever Stockholm syndrome she was unknowingly falling into. The downside was that her "broken" act had shattered. The first night, the new guard thought it'd be fun to have a go at her. While she may have feared it initially when Germain dropped her off with two strange men in an apartment however many months ago, neither of her former guards had ever laid a hand on her. Even when Germain came to beat her for his perverted version of a home movie, they stood motionless and brought her ice and bandages afterward. This guard thought differently.

While she didn't currently hold a miraculous, all those years of being a vigilante of Paris did not leave her weak and defenseless. The struggle was over before it started and the man lay whimpering in a heap on her bedroom floor before his hand made it past her collarbone. The other guard ran in to see what the commotion was and stared flabbergasted by the sight of his six foot and 250 pound colleague in fetal position with a 5'5" petite woman standing over him, murder in her eyes. Without a word, he collected his acquaintance, and neither of them had spoken to her since. Sometimes she would catch furious glances from her would-be attacker, but she was satisfied by the fear in his eyes. A large part of her wished she'd broken more than his hand to stop him from trying something on a woman who didn't have her benefit of decades of vigilante training.

While she waited for another opportunity, or any chance to glean new information or escape, Adela meditated. She had ruined her facade of the broken woman, she she chose something even more terrifying: calm indifference. They wanted to be feared, so she would show them they didn't matter.

She sat, her legs in butterfly position, when for the first time in a year, a friendly voice squeaked her name.

"Adela?"

She opened her eyes, and floating in front of her was a small, red creature with a black spot on her head. Tear welled up in her eyes, and a wave of salvation rushed over her.

"Tikki?"


	44. Chapter 44

Chapter 44

The small god flew over and kissed her forehead in a motherly way.

"Get ready, they're coming." Without another word, Tikki flew through the wall from where she came, and left Adela staring after her. A part of her wondered if she finally had broke and gone crazy. That was Ladybug's kwami, but Ladybug was not Marguerite anymore, so why… she trailed off that thought and realized what Tikki had said. Someone was coming for her!

She sprung into action, reaching for a bag, but then thinking better of it and just stuffing random papers and evidence she had collected into her pockets, the waist of her pants, anywhere. She may need to fight, a bag would only hinder her. Grabbing her coat, and wrapping it around her, she waited. Hearing a crash on the other side of her locked door, she widened her stance, and prepared to fight.

When Tikki flew out and nodded, Adrien felt his heart stop. _She was here._ For the first time in a year, the only thing that separate him from his mother was a wall. Marinette transformed and then put her hand in his arm-either steadying him or to keep him from breaking down the door just yet, he wasn't sure which-while she opened her yoyo and told Alya the apartment number.

She _had_ to know he wasn't going to wait for them, but she turned and looked at him seriously.

"I need to ask something of you, and I know you won't want to, but it's the best option."

He just stared at her. _They were wasting time!_ She placed both hands on his shoulders to keep him rooted in place.

"I want you to go out that window," she pointed to the one at the end of the hall, "and I want you to go get your mother. Tikki says her window is on that side of the building. Grab her and then go up to the roof and meet your father there. Then take Adela to my place and we'll meet you there."

He stood shocked. Equal parts of him wanted to see his mother immediately and beat the crap out of whoever was holding her hostage. Then, he also was extremely uncomfortable letting the rest of them fight his battle without him. He started to argue, but she held up her hand.

"No, I talked to Alya before we left, and she already got your dad to agree. We can take care of two civilian thugs and we'll be right behind you. Please, kitty."

He could tell she was worried about his concentration in a fight, and they didn't want to risk his mother being hurt, so getting her out a back entrance was ideal. As was having two of them take her to Marinette's in case they ran into trouble along the way. She would be most willing to trust him or his dad, so that would make it quicker too.

As much as he tried to find fault in her plan, something to argue, he came up short.

"I don't want to let you fight my battle. I don't like it when we fight alone," he said weakly. She lifted a hand and cupped his cheek.

"Me neither, but it's _our battle_ and I have good backup. Now hurry!" She kissed him quickly and pushed him towards the window as Volpina and Honu rounded the corner.

They would give him a two minute head start before they caused a distraction. Climbing out the window he rounded the corner and perched precariously on the ledge of the decorative edifice. Once outside her window, he extended his baton to the ground and balanced more comfortably on that while he pried the window open. Poking his head in, he spotted her.

Her blond hair was flatter and longer than her remembered, but there she stood in a fighting stance, fire in her eyes. He smiled and felt tears welling up in his eyes. Marinette was right to keep him from the fight, he begrudgingly admitted to himself.

"Mom?" He called tentatively and she spun on him, still expecting a fight. The moment she met his eyes though, the fire fell away, replaced by the tender expression he thought he'd never see again.

"Chat-Adrien?" She lifted a hand to her mouth, and then rushed him, grabbing him in a fierce hug and almost throwing him off balance. She pulled back.

"You're -you're -"

"No time," he cut her off and grabbed her waist. She clung to him like she was used to traveling via baton over buildings, and maybe she was. He still couldn't believe that his parents had been friends with his predecessor.

Just as he got her secured and started to ascend, he heard the crash of fighting from the living room but had to trust that his friends were taking care of the rest. He vaulted to the roof.

The moment he set his mother down, his father had her in his arms and they embraced with an intensity he only remembered of them from his very young childhood. As soon as it started, it was over though, and his mother was back in front of him, pecking kisses over his entire face like she used to when he would come home from a long trip and making him chuckle.

She looked back and forth between the two of them, a million questions flaring in her eyes. Her eyes settled on Adrien, but she addressed Gabriel.

"How?" she asked and his father shrugged, but looked over at him proudly.

"He was chosen." They both gazed at him lovingly, and Chat was basking in the moment. It got better when he saw his girlfriend jump onto the roof, and all the people he truly loved were surrounding him. Then he looked at Ladybug's face, and reality sat back in.

"Seriously?" She looked at him in exasperation. "Thugs called for backup. Family reunion later." She grabbed Chat's hand and began to tug him behind her off the roof, but stopped and turned, a sweet smile on her face. "Oh, and nice to meet you Mrs. Agreste." Then she nodded to Gabriel. "Meet you there."

Chat wrapped his arm around her waist as she swung them to another roof, taking a circuitous route to her house to confuse anyone who may be following. Just before they were out of earshot though, he heard his mother's joyous laughter.

"I like her," she said to his father who also chuckled as they flew off in another direction. Despite the can of worms they just opened, and the fact that they had basically declared war with a lunatic with political aspirations, Chat couldn't keep the smile off his face.


	45. Chapter 45

Chapter 45

Volpina cursed herself as she and Nino flew towards Marinette's. Ladybug had taken the bigger one all on her own, but theirs was sneakier than they expected, and still managed to send out the signal for backup before they took him down.

They descended a few blocks away, found an alley, and released their transformations before walking the rest of the way to the bakery. They were met at the entrance by Marinette and Adrien coming from the opposite direction. Hands intertwined and strolling leisurely, they looked like any couple just out for a moonlight walk. Alya smiled, still happy for her friend's good fortune, but getting a bit restless waiting for the man by _her_ side to finally get the hint and make a move.

"Hey guys!" Marinette waved amicably. "Come in for some cocoa?" She unlocked the front door and ushered them in behind her, taking care to deadbolt it after them. Once inside, they all rushed, upstairs and were immediately embraced by the Dupain-Chengs as they looked them over for even any minor injuries.

"Maman, Papa!" Marinette said, laughing. "We're fine. I promise. Are Gabriel and Adela-"

"They're in the back room. Here," she handed Marinette and Alya a tray of pastries and tea. "Take this back."

They walked back, and Adrien sat directly in between his parents, making Alya smile, and formally introduced them all to his mother. She seemed extra pleased to meet Marinette when Adrien introduced her as his girlfriend and Alya had to chuckle at the bright red blush that covered Marinette's expressive face. Once they were acquainted and well fed, a must in the Dupain-Cheng household, they caught Adela up on the event of the past year, but more specifically of the last few weeks.

Just when they had finished, Chloé arrived, but apart from her warm embrace of Adela, she looked grave.

"They had cameras."

"What do you mean?" Marinette leaned forward, staring at her.

"I mean," Chloé flicked her hair agitatedly, but it was really just a tell of her worry. "I saw a video of the three of you beating up two men in what seems to be a random attack in their own apartment, and Germain plans to use it for his political advantage. He's going to claim that we've given these vigilantes too much freedom, and now they're becoming a public menace and are volatile."

"But-But-," Marinette sputtered, and then pointed to Adela. "Adela! We were saving Adela!"

"But that's not on camera," Chloé explained gently. Marinette looked so forlorn, and Alya wrapped a arm around her shoulder.

"What should we do?" She asked no one in particular. And no one in particular answered. Complete silence enveloped the room, and then Adela lifted her head, and spoke.

"Gabriel, go home." She looked to her husband who had a startled expression on his face.

"Err, darling, what-why?" he settled on, but Adela was staring directly at Marinette.

"Gabe, you're going to go home and wait. Then in about thirty minutes, I will be miraculously returned by Ladybug and friends to your doorstep. You'll call the police, and tell them joyously that Ladybug, Chat Noir, Volpina and Honu rescued me from kidnappers. We will have a brief press conference, without my heroes." She turned to Adrien. "Adrien, dear, you need to be there as my son, and it wouldn't make sense for Chat Noir to just be missing. So," she turned back to them all, "The rest of you will go home and sleep. Chloé," she swiveled her gaze to the blonde. "You will go catch your father up on what has been happening, including all you uncle's ideas of grandeur. André may be a bit too trusting, but his is an intelligent man, and he will be crucial if we're going to take Germain out permanently."

She stopped, and looked around at each of them. Alya glanced around at the open-mouthed stares of her friends an almost wanted to laugh. This whole situation had gotten to the precipice of being overwhelming to them all, and while grief-striken Gabriel was a help, and Marinette's parents were a stabilizing presence, Alya realized how in over their heads they were. Akumatized victims? No problem. Political masterminds scheming a government takeover? Maybe a bit above their expertise.

"We _so_ needed an adult," Alya said, sitting back. "What?" she asked indignantly, looking around at her friends. "I'll admit it if you all won't. I'm fifteen! I like running into danger for a story, and fighting akumas as Volpina, but thwarting a coup d'etat is a bit more than I'm prepared to handle. Call me in a few years."

There was silence, and then Nino started to chuckle, followed by Marinette's giggle and Chloé's snorting laugh. Finally the Agrestes and Dupain-Chengs joined in until they had gotten it out of their system.

"No offence, Mr Agreste. Sabine, Tom." She added, but Sabine just laughed at here.

"None taken, dear. I don't think my bread baking skills prepared me well on the ways to stop a maniacal, political upstart either."

"And I..well…" He touched Adela's shoulder from where his arm rested on top of the back of the couch behind his son, as if to just assure himself that she was still there.

"Of course," Alya nodded, understandingly. He had more pressing concerns than unraveling Germain's twisted game of political intrigue.

"So, it's settled then?" Adela asked, checking to see that they were all on the same page, and they all looked to Marinette, who'd somehow become their impromptu leader in all of this. They caught her mid-yawn.

"Okay, let's do this then. Before I pass out," she added sheepishly.

She leaned over and kissed her mother on the cheek. Gabriel left, getting a head start. He wanted to make sure his own security cameras captured exactly the scene they needed to show police and take down Germain's false accusations.

Then,Chloé went home for an uncomfortable talk with her father and the rest transformed, preparing for the miraculous reappearance of Adela Agreste.


	46. Chapter 46

Chapter 46

After a successful return, Marinette slept for what felt like forever. She woke briefly around noon to use the bathroom, and some part of her consciousness registered that there was another human in her bed that hadn't been there when she fell asleep the night before.

 _Alya_ , her mind whispered to her, naming the human-shaped lump as she sank back into the covers before her brain shut down again and she was asleep.

The next time she woke up, it was because of a human too. Not the human in her bed. A different human standing next to her bed and looking down in amusement.

"I'm all for beauty sleep, but really." The blonde human rolled her eyes.

"Ugh." Marinette managed.

"Yes, hello to you too." Chloé was barely containing her laughter now, and Marinette could just imagine the state her hair was in.

"Time?"

"4."

"Ughh," Marinette responded again, and sat up. "Woah." She closed her eyes as black spots danced in her vision and her head spun. She reached back and patted the bed blindly to rouse Alya.

"Mmph," she groaned as Marinette's hand made contact with her cheek.

"I can come back later," Chloé raised an eyebrow. "When is the caveman convention over."

"Ha. Ha." Marinette opened her eyes, now able to see straight without the world swimming. "Food?" she called over her shoulder to Alya.

"Food," she agreed, and they both stumbled past Chloé without another word and downstairs towards the kitchen. They were used to their early morning dialect-even if it was _technically_ late afternoon. Chloé followed them, and amused look on her face. Part of Marinette's mind registered her expression as...scheming? She was still too asleep for this, so she ignored it and gravitated towards the food-room. _Kitchen_ , her awakening-mind corrected, but she paid it no attention.

Halfway down the steps, she registered eyes on her, and she looked towards the kitchen table. Adrien and Nino sat eating what looked like a strange combination of breakfast, lunch and dinner foods. They looked as tired as Alya and Marinette felt. Chloé was the only one that seemed to have avoided this all-encompassing fatigue. _Bitch,_ Marinette thought affectionately before turning back to her perusal of the two male humans in the kitchen _._ They both looked much wider awake when they spotted the disheveled and half-alive state of the girls.

Her mind finally registering that her boyfriend was in her kitchen and she probably looked like death, Marinette squeaked and was about to turn and run back upstairs to pull herself together, Alya close on her heels, but then she stopped. Looking down at her smirking partner, she did exactly what he expected her _not_ to do. Lifting her chin, she walked down to the kitchen with dignity, trying to forget that she had just squeaked in surprise. Alya followed her, and eyebrow raised at Marinette. She simply walked over to the sink, quickly splashed her face with cold water and took her hair out of the braid she had hastily threw it up in after her brief shower last night.

She walked over and joined the others at the table, sitting close to Adrien's side. He was smiling brilliantly at her, and she smiled shyly back before grabbing some food.

"I don't know how you're all awake right now," she looked at Adrien and Nino, yawning again as she tore into a croissant. "Wait," she sat up straighter and turned to Adrien. "Why are you here? I mean, I thought you'd be with your family."

Adrien chuckled at her, plucking half of her croissant from her hands. She really didn't know how he kept his model figure with the amount of pastries he ate. _Would her bakery be the undoing of Adrien Agreste's modeling career?_ She was clearly still have incoherent from sleep, and tried to keep her mind on topic.

"They kicked me out. My mom claimed I was hovering, and told me to go see my beau and leave her alone." He shrugged, but looked more content then she had seen him since he discovered the photo of his mother all those weeks ago.

"Oh," she said and turned back to her food. "So what else did we miss?" She settled into his side, lifting his arm and wrapping it around her shoulders. Not for the first time, she saw the longing look in Alya's eyes at the easy gestures between them and sighed inwardly. She'd have to talk to Nino soon. This was just getting ridiculous.

Chloé roused her from her matchmaking and gave them the play-by-play of her conversation with her father.

"So, what else do we have to do?" Marinette was confused. All of this seemed very anti-climatic after the night before. They were handing it over to the Mayor and the police, as they should since it was a political matter, but it seemed too simple.

"You all, as the miraculous holders- I still don't want to be known yet if I don't have to-will publicly show support for my father during his denouncement of Germain and his followers. They released that video, and a few news stations picked it up, but it was quickly pushed to the side by the late-night Agreste story and pseudo-press conference announcing the safe return of Adela by Ladybug and Chat Noir. It should be enough to disband whatever support he managed to garner at the banquet last night."

It all sounded good, but Marinette still felt uneasy.

"Chloé-"

"I know," she cut her off. "It seems too easy."

She nodded. She'd hoped Chloé would brush her off, telling her she was just being paranoid, but no. _What are we missing?_

The next day, Mayor Bourgeois publically addressed the city, the four miraculous holders standing stoically behind him, and Mr. and Mrs. Agreste at his side. A large gathering of Parisians stood before them, just behind the cameras live broadcasting the speech. The mayor denounced Germain as a corrupt former employee of the mayoral office who had delusions of holding a higher office and resorted to kidnapping and other crimes to do so. He didn't explain _why_ it was Adela who had been kidnapped to achieve this, but he made a vague reference to her as a close family friend and let people assume it was to manipulate him or Gabriel as a prominent member of society. He then made a brief apology on the behalf of his estranged brother, but ensured the citizens of Paris that while Germain had not been captured, his accomplice Penelope Valois had, and his personal connection to the criminal would in no way hinder the ongoing investigation and manhunt.

He went on, but Marinette was distracted by scanning the crowd. She felt eyes on her. It may seem a strange thing to say, all of Paris was probably watching her right now, but she felt something...menacing. Perhaps she was being paranoid, but the feeling that this wasn't over still hadn't left her from the day before. Just as the mayor was concluding his speech, her eyes spotted him. Watching from the peripheral of the crowd, Germain stood in a dark fleece and hat. She met his eyes for a few moments, and he sneered at her.

She turned to get Chat's attention, but by the time she looked back, Germain was gone, leaving her with an even deeper feeling of unease. Chat looked at her worriedly, but she waved him off and mouthed 'later', her eyes continuing to scan the crowd.

After the speech was over and she shook the appropriate hands and spoke to a few reporters she gathered her team, the Agrestes and the Mayor.

"I saw him," she announced bluntly, and no one questioned her. They had all been paranoid the last two days, so she wouldn't fault them if they didn't believe her, but no one challenged her. They knew he wouldn't stay hidden for long. One more thing had been taken from him, and he was no doubt tired of losing.

"Where?" Volpina demanded and Ladybug pointed it out for her. Volpina's eyes immediately turned on the television cameras that were still set up, analyzing the angles. She zeroed in on one and stalked over to it.

"Where's your footage?" She asked, not unkindly, but with an obvious urgency. The camera technician pulled out his laptop and played back his crowd capture shots.

"There!" Volpina shouted, and the tech froze the image. "Zoom in there, if you can."

" _If I can_ ," the tech muttered under his breath and gave her a perfect zoom and resolution of Germain's face. Volpina took over the computer and sent the image to the LadyBlog comment email, giving the guy a vague explanation of _"Shell know what to do with it."_

Thanking him, she rejoined the others and showed them the image.

"It's definitely him," Gabriel affirmed, looking nervously to Adela, assuming he was planning something again.

"Play that back," Adela requested, and Volpina cued up the video. It had been pointed over the crowd for the entirety of the thirty minute speech, so she set it a four times the pace. Germain was there from about minute ten to twenty-five. Adela looked up after it was over and to Ladybug.

"He's staring at you."

"I hoped I was imagining that," Marinette replied, and Chat took a step closer to her.

"He blames us for ruining his plan," Nino cut in from her left. "He blames us, so he'll take it out on Ladybug, because she's our leader."

Leave it to Nino to state the blunt truth. He was right. When it was just her and Chat, they'd had a more or less equal partnership. People always gravitated more to her, but that didn't affect the dynamics between the two of them when they were fighting. Now, it was four of them-five if Chloé ever decided to truly join up-and as much as she hated to admit it, she had become a sort of undecided leader. It just hadn't been voiced until now.

"He won't touch you." Chat grabbed her hand. They had tried to keep their relationship private when they were transformed, but she needed to feel him next to her just as much as he did right now.

"What do we do?" Adrien addressed his father and the Mayor, but they both looked uncomfortable.

"There's still a search for him, so all we can do is...wait." The mayor said apologetically, and Ladybug sighed.

She knew it wasn't over.


	47. Chapter 47

Chapter 47

After much argument, Ladybug finally got them to let her go home. Adrien was going to stop by later and probably spend the night after she let her parents know what was going on, but she refused to be escorted. She didn't want to make this into a bigger deal, and she refused to be afraid of this person.

She swung down into an alley adjacent to the bakery and released her transformation. Hearing a scuttle behind her, she and Tikki both turned and looked down the end of the alley.

"Probably just a rat," Tikki tried to reassure her, but her voice lacked the certainty that it usually held. Her kwami was rattled, and it made Marinette hate Germain even more. Tikki may have been millennia old, but she still cared for each of her charges as deeply as the next, and Marinette knew a part of her feared Marinette being taken like Adela was from Duusu.

Despite her tension, she smiled remembering what Adrien told her about Adela and Duusu. Saturday morning, they had all gone to Master Fu's and the two had a tearful reunion. Marinette started to walk towards the mouth of the alley, Tikki somewhat concealed in her pigtail. She would not let anyone harm Tikki, and her kwami felt the same. So she shrugged off the feeling of being watched, and walked home.

The next day at school, she was still tired, but much more rested than she had been all weekend. Adrien had spent the night with her parent's permission, on the chaise lounge of course. They had all been rattled from the idea that someone might be targeting Ladybug, and while no one outside of the miraculous and her family knew her identity, they didn't want to take any chances. Loathe as she was to admit it, Marinette slept better for it. She was worried more about her parents should someone find out who she really was; so having Chat nearby, made her feel more at ease.

Still, she felt lighter than she had in awhile as she walked to her locker to grab her books for the day. She was ready to focus on school again, and be a normal teenager. Her locker opened and a photo fell out and drifted to the ground. She looked over at Adrien and smiled, thinking he must have slipped it into her locker when she wasn't looking. He looked back at her and smiled, but he looked confused. Reaching down she picked it up and realized it was photo-booth style, with 4 pictures. Instead of each with a different pose though, this showed a progression of events. She gasped and the glossy slip of paper floated down from her hand.

"No."

Adrien had walked Marinette to school, but was trying his best to give her space while still constantly scouting the surrounding area for Germain or any sign of danger. He'd just left her at her locker when she smiled over at him. He was confused, but thankful. He'd been cautious of seeming too overbearing and overprotective. He knew she could take care of herself, but he couldn't stand the thought of another person he loved being harmed by Germain.

Then he heard her gasp and whisper "No" in terror. In an instant, he was by her side and gripped her forearms in his hand, her own hands falling to lock on his in turn. His head swiveling, he couldn't spot what had turned her such an ashen shade. She only stared down at the ground and he spotted a slip of shiny paper.

Chloé was passing by and saw their faces. She reached down to pick up the paper, and immediately clutched it to her chest, hiding it from anyone's view. Looking around, she spotted Alya and Nino, pointed two fingers at them, and then at the art room where she proceeded to bodily drag Adrien and a still catatonic Marinette.

Once they were all in the abandoned art room, Adrien got a chair for Marinette and tried to make her sit. Her shocked had rapidly turned to anger and she brushed him off, ripping the paper from Chloé's hands and threw it to the ground, stomping on it for good measure. She started to pace.

"That bastard!" she yelled, and Adrien put his hands up trying to get her to quiet down. The last thing they needed was a teacher coming to check what the cause of the commotion was. "That evil, conniving, power-hungry..prick!" she let out a humorless laugh at herself, seeming pleased with her use of vulgarity. She suddenly turned on Adrien and Chloé. "If he goes after my parents, I. Swear. To. God-"

"I know. Trust me." Adrien looked at her pointedly and she stopped pacing to look at him, her expression softening a bit.

"Right, of course you do. I just-"

"No one is touching Tom or Sabine," Alya and Nino walked in then, closing the door behind them. "And keep it down, I could hear you from out there.." Then she raised an eyebrow at her. "Prick, huh?"

"You got me hooked on too many BBC shows," she muttered under her breath, but Adrien was relieved to see she had calmed down.

"Alright, well, who's the prick then?" Alya asked as she picked up the crumpled photo. "Shit." She looked up at Marinette, fury in her eyes matching that of her best friend. Adrien marveled at how powerful the two would be if someone got on their collective bad side.

Alya looked at Chloé, and Adrien was amazed what a unit the three girls had become in such a short time. There was a question in Alya's eyes and Chloé answered it without hesitation. As much as they had glossed over it, Germain was Chloé's family. Her uncle and her biological father. They had asked her to establish a deeper connection with him and then use this connection to betray him. Chloé could be cold sometimes, but none of them thought she was emotionless, certainly not anymore.

"There is no question," Chloé answered the unspoken thoughts in the room. "He is not my family. He's some jerk who tried to screw over my father, destroy Adrien's family, and now he's threatening my friend." She looked meaningfully at Marinette with a look of trust and understanding. Adrien wondered what had passed between the two to get them to this point and how he had missed it. "You know he's going to threaten to reveal your identity. I don't know what he's planning, but he'll try to leverage that over you. He like's having a miraculous under his thumb."

"What do you have in mind?" Marinette recognized something in Chloé's eyes that told her a plan was being hatched.

"We need to end this once and for all. We need to tear down every shred of credibility he has left and expose him as the pathetic and deranged megalomaniac that he truly is."

"How?" Alya asked.

"Leave it to me." Chloé responded, and the three girls all nodded, seeming to understand each other perfectly while he and Nino just stood there. He glanced over at his friend.

"Don't look at me, bro. They're the brains. We're just the eye-candy." He wiggled his eyebrows in a mock-seductive fashion and slapped Adrien on the back good-naturedly before they two walked over to be clued into the scheming.

Germain sat sipping coffee in the park. One thing about being on the run was they never looked in the most open places. They expected you to hide yourself away in some hole somewhere. Well, he refused.

No, he much preferred to watch his daughter as she cavorted with the enemy.

He'd received a text from Chloé asking to meet that night. She claimed to be worried about him, but he was no fool. The only way Adela was found so easily was because there must have been a leak somewhere on the inside, and it was convenient that it happened right after he brought on his long-lost biological daughter. She'd been smart about it. He had no concrete evidence, and she was by his side at the gala when he'd heard of Adela's capture. She was brazen, and a part of him felt something akin to pride at her deceitfulness. She didn't get that from André.

A larger part of him was furious. She took him down once, but not again. She thought she was saving Ladybug: her friend Marinette.

"But who will save you, mon agneau?" He smiled menacingly, and stood. As he walked away, he texted Chloé back, whistling a flat tune.


	48. Chapter 48

Chapter 48

It had been a couple of months, and no word from Germain. He'd texted Chloé a brief "not safe" and then promptly disconnected his phone. They'd been worried about it for a few weeks, but they'd since moved on. No more threats had been made against Ladybug, or anyone for that matter. In fact, without Hawkmoth akumatizing victims, things had been downright boring. Adrien joked that they were all going to get rusty and maybe they could retire early. They all were happy to joke about it, and after the hell his family went through, Marinette did not begrudge Adrien his carefree attitude.

For over a week after the initial threat, he'd slept on her chaise lounge, determined to be ready when something happened. But Marinette finally convinced him to go home, sounding more certain than she actually felt when she told him it was just an empty threat. He'd been reluctant at first, but his lighthearted and joyful self finally came back in full swing. Maybe Marinette had become a better actor in the last few weeks, or maybe he'd just wanted to believe the lie as much as she did.

For her part, there was no question of getting "rusty". She patrolled every night, keeping her stamina and vigilance up. And she wasn't the only one who still felt like this wasn't over. One night she ran into Queen Bee.

The two just stared at each other.

"Thank god you're not being oblivious too." Queen remarked finally.

"They're not oblivious, they're just trying to be optimistic." Ladybug quickly defended them, but then added, "I honestly think most of it is for my benefit. They don't want to drag it out because they don't want to worry me."

"Is it working?" Queen raised and eyebrow and when she saw Ladybug's face she snorted. "Of course not. C'mon," She turned and started towards the south. "I need to get better at fighting, you can spar with me."

Without further discussion, that's what they did. Every night, she and Queen Bee met for half an hour, did a patrol of their own and then sparred for the rest of the time. She'd mentioned it briefly to Adrien and the others one lunch, that she was teaching Chloé some things and maybe they should all get together and train sometime.

"Yeah, we definitely should!" Alya agreed readily, and then her and the boys started comparing schedules about when they would all be free, but they never settled on a time. They were going back to their lives, and she was happy they could move on so readily, even if she couldn't. She looked over and caught Chloé's eye. The blonde had started eating lunch with them sometimes, and Marinette found herself grateful for her presence. This wasn't over for Chloé either. They shared a small smile, and then rejoined the conversation. There was no reason to push the others.

A few nights later, Adrien surprised her by bringing that conversation up.

"We should patrol. I miss doing that with you." He turned his head towards her. They were lying in opposite directions, heads next to each other, as they looked at the stars from her balcony. She loved living in a quieter part of the city where the light pollution didn't quite cancel out the night sky. Adrien had started using the excuse that he wanted to come over to see his star, he claimed to be referring to the constellation Leo, but he made enough terrible star puns, that it had taken on a double meaning to refer to her too.

"I know you still do," he continued and she looked over at him in surprise. He just smiled softly. "I know this isn't over for you, and you're still a little paranoid that he's going to come back. I try not to think about it because...because I can't imagine someone taking you from me like my mom was, but I don't want to just ignore it. I want you to talk to me if you need to."

"I've been patrolling with Chloé every night," she blurted out and focused on the stars, though she could feel his eyes on her face. "She...Not that I don't miss racing through Paris with you, chaton. I do. It's just, she…"

"She gets it. This isn't over for Chloé either. As much as we all ignore it, he's family to her, even if you ignore the biological father part and even if they're estranged," he finished for her.

"Exactly," Marinette let out a long breath. "I think she feels some secondhand guilt, which is ridiculous because she is in no way responsible for that man-"

"But humans aren't always rational, even our ever-logical Chloé."

She looked over at him.

"No, we're not," she whispered softly and closed her eyes as she rested her forehead against his.

"Amazing," he whispered, and when she opened her eyes, his gaze was directed at her, not the stars.

Another few weeks past, and Marinette felt the tension slowly leak out of her body. Chat had started meeting them occasionally for patrols, and so had Volpina and Honu, although less frequently. Somehow knowing they were all still in this, supporting her and Chloé, relieved some of her worry. This was _their_ fight and her friends stepped up to help carry the burden. She was still on guard, but she couldn't live her life under the insurmountable stress, so together with her friends, her and Chloé tried to move on.

One morning when she was feeling particularly carefree, she walked up to her locker to see it decked out with roses and balloons. She froze as a shot of panic coursed through her body remembering the last time someone sent her a message through her locker. Then she saw Adrien, and tried to quickly compose her face. His wide grin still fell as he caught her reaction and he rushed to her side.

"Shit, I'm sorry! I didn't think-I wasn't trying to-"

"It's okay. I'm fine. It's...It's irrational. People slip notes in lockers all the time," She squeezed his hand as he kissed her forehead. "It's beautiful. What's it for?" She walked over and picked a rose, smelling it deeply.

"Well," he reached up and rubbed the back of his head in his nervous gesture, and she smiled into her flower. "This isn't _exactly_ going how I'd hoped, but I was wondering if you'd like to go to the ball with me?"

"But I already said yes to formal?" She thought back at how cute and awkward he had been showing up at her house and formally asking her in front of her parents. In the suit his parents made him wear, of course.

"No, I mean, yes!" he hastily corrected. She had always been the flustered one, so a slightly evil part of her enjoyed how the tables had turned since they started dating. "But this is different. The mayor throws one every year to thank supporters and community leaders. Chloé got us all invitations, but I asked...If I could ask you?"

"Oh, so I'm invited either way." She stared at him and kept her face blank for as long as possible until he started to squirm a bit. She couldn't hold it long though, and broke out into a wide grin. Standing on her toes she kissed him, wrapping her arms around his neck. She felt the tension release from his body as he held her. Pulling back, she smirked.

"Don't you know by now, kitty? I'd go anywhere with you."

"Good thing I have nine lives, _Purr_ -incess." He smirked his signature Chat grin that got her every time. "Because I think my heart stopped just waiting for your answer."

So life was still dangerous, but luckily she had a certain blonde boy and a governor's ball to distract her. She allowed her mind to wander as she planned her and Alya's dresses. Maybe she'd even get Chloé into one of her creations.


	49. Chapter 49

Chapter 49

The night of the ball, Marinette stood fussing over and adding final details to her creations. She had made matching bow ties for the boys from the same fabric she made the girls dresses out of the week before, including Chloé's date who was a surprisingly kind and down to earth boy from the nearby prep school. They had met at one of her father's political functions; he was interning for the Minister of Culture who was in attendance. Apparently they hit it off immediately, but Marinette had to siphon that information out of Mathys, because Chloé's lips were sealed on the matter.

And yes, she convinced Chloé to let her design her dress. Chloé was annoyingly snobbish about it, demanding to see her portfolio and past examples of her work, but Marinette passed her inspection. She would never admit this, but she was secretly pleased.

The girls arrived about two hours before the ball, and the boys about thirty minutes. At Sabine's insistence, the girls descended one by one down the stairs to meet them.

"There are only a few times in life when a woman can make a grand entrance. Milk it, ladies," she'd said with a wink, and then ushered Marinette down first, her father's camera poised and ready, of course.

Marinette descended, her red, floor-length gown trailing behind her slightly as the intricate beadwork of her bodice sparkled in the low lighting of the room and her satin skirt swayed around her. She'd gone simpler for her own dress, settling on a sweetheart neckline covered by a single layer sheer mesh that created straps over her shoulder. On the bodice was a beaded embroidery of flowers and ladybugs. It all tapered at a simple black satin band before gathering into the satin skirt that fell like a waterfall down to her ballet slippered feet.

When she reached the last step and was sure she wouldn't trip, she looked up and saw the stunned look on Adrien's face. Smiling, she walked over more confidently, blessing her decision not to wear heels.

"Like what you see, mon chaton?" She smiled innocently up at him, enjoying his speechlessness.

"You. are. Breathtaking." He smiled radiantly down into her eyes, and she heard a sniff from her left.

She looked over at her father, who was crying slightly, her mother patting his back but smiling at her.

"Papa!" She was slightly alarmed, but her mother was chuckling.

"You're just so.. Cute!" her father burst out, and the rest of the room started laughing too, including Alya and Chloé who had stuck their heads out to watch Adrien's reaction.

"Okay, Tom. Pull yourself together." Sabine rolled her eyes, but was still suppressing some laughter herself. "Alya, you're next!"

The two girls shortly followed one another. Alya's sunset color dress styled in a vintage fashion. It gathered around her bust with two straps wrapping around her upper biceps. The silky material flared from under her bust falling to mid-shin in an ombre of orange to burgundy and highlighting the heeled black sandals she wore more confidently than Marinette could have. Chloé's was surprisingly not a shade of gold as the girl tended to gravitate towards. Instead, her lilac gown made her look equally ethereal, but not quite as unapproachable. It had a strapless bodice that was completely structured and corseted to about her navel before falling in a chiffon skirt to her toes. Plum threading accented the intricate woven pattern that crisscrossed the bodice and a silver layer under the skirt made Chloé literally sparkle. Her hair was left down for once and gathered to the side with an antique silver and amethyst hair comb that had been Chloé's mother's and the inspiration for the dress.

Marinette watched and allowed herself to feel pride at her creations. Chloé's in particular had taken forever because of the extremely fitted and structured nature of it, but she could tell how important the comb was to her and wanted it to be special.

Her mother walked over, smiling brightly at them all, kissing each girl on the cheek before her father took a few more photos. Marinette rolled her eyes, but was so happy for the normalcy of the night that she didn't complain.

They walked out to the waiting car with the boys, Marinette pleased to see Nino holding Alya's hand.

"Took them long enough," Adrien's voice sounded low in her ear as he bent into whisper to her.

"We all got there eventually," she smiled up at him, knowing he got her true meaning, and then they slipped into the car and went off to the ball.

The night was perfect. Adrien was dancing with Marinette, and he could tell that for the first time in a long time, she was completely at ease. His parents were also in attendance, as were more than a few of his father's friends from the fashion industry. As three of her finest pieces of work we're currently on display in the ballroom, Gabriel took every opportunity to brag about his son and his very talented designer girlfriend. One friend who was in awe over Chloé's dress in particular remarked, "They'll be quite the power couple one day." His father simple answered, "They'll be happy."

Adrien felt his throat constrict with emotion overhearing his father's response, and was grateful for the millionth time in the last few months. They may have went through hell to get there, but his family had emerged stronger and together. With Marinette and their friends by his side too, Adrien thanked whatever gods were out there that he'd been so blessed.

This feeling was dampened slightly when an unexpected guest showed up. He had just gone to get some drinks, when he returned to find Marinette missing. He was glancing around for her when the screech of a microphone caught his attention. The entire ballroom seemed to be suspended motionless as all eyes turned towards the stage where the mayor was supposed to make his speech. And there was Marinette, being restrained behind Germain by some man Adrien didn't recognize.

"Pierre," Chloé's voice said from his left. He turned, not realizing his friends plus Mathys had gathered around him. "He works as an aid for my dad. Shit, I knew we couldn't have gotten everyone."

"Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome. Aren't you in for a treat." Germain maniacally smiled down at them all.

"What is his plan?" Adrien looked over at Chloé frantically, but she shook her head.

"Some people don't have a grander scheme. Their life crumbles and they just want the world to burn with them."

Adrien looked back up at Marinette, her hair loose from the struggle and his resolution set in.

"No way he's taking my girl with him," Alya voiced his thoughts exactly and with a nod to Chloé she and Nino disappeared.

Adrien didn't know what passed between them; he could only stare towards the stage.

"Allow me to introduce our honored guest of the night." Germain continued, and pointed up to the projection screen and the image of Marinette transforming flared to life. "Say hello to your precious Ladybug."


	50. Chapter 50

Chapter 50

Germain was practically bouncing with glee. He was done. He wasn't that delusional, but he'd be damned if he didn't take them down with him, particularly his daughter, brother and Paris' favorite heroine: Ladybug.

"Behold, Paris' savior that my brother has chosen to allow to run loose on the streets of Paris, doling out justice as _she_ deems fit. A mere child." He signaled Pierre and the man threw Marinette to the ground in front of Germain. Her black and red dress on theme, and driving his imagery home even better.

He showed another picture of Ladybug, mid transformation and Marinette's face was clear as day. He delighted in the gasps of surprise that ricocheted around the room.

"This is who Mayor Bourgeois has chosen to give unfettered power. Accountable to no one, she roams the streets at night. You've been safe so far, but wait a few days. We all know how flighty teenage girls can be." He saw that point hit home with a few of the older gentlemen in the room, and he noticed more than a few were government and industry leaders themselves.

"Explain yourself, André." A voice boomed from the left center of the room and Germain saw Abelard DuPont step forwards. He smirked. Abelard had not been one of his supporters, though Germain and he had a mutually beneficial relationship and Abelard had helped him more than once with connections and funding. As the leader of the opposition party, he too was looking for anyway to discredit André. He craved power _almost_ as much as Germain. _The enemy of my enemy is my friend._

André stepped forward, but someone beat him to it.

"This is ridiculous." Chloé stepped onto the dance floor which was still vacant and just happened to be covered by a dome for the best acoustics so everyone could hear her voice. She knew how to position herself in a room.

"Ah, if it isn't my precious daughter. Come to help daddy?" Startled gasps echoed through the room as heads swiveled to look at André. Germain was pleased to see the strained look on his brother's face, but noticed it wasn't aimed at him. André was staring worriedly at Chloé. How boring.

Chloé, on the other hand, was unfazed by the shock around her. She crossed her arms and raised and eyebrow.

"Puh-lease," she drew out the word and rolled her eyes. "You're nothing but a sperm-donor and an estranged uncle. My true father is one-hundred times the man you'll ever be. _He_ doesn't need to make up stories and terrorize teenage girls just to feel better about himself." She turned to address the crowd over her shoulder. "If this isn't a cry for attention, I don't know what is. And here I thought _I_ was the drama queen in the family."

She got more than a few laughs from her remark, and Germain slowly felt the room start to slip from his grasp.

"From one confused child trying to protect another. My dear countrymen, I have proof!" He pointed to the screen and everyone gasped, but not at his images. That was the moment another unexpected guest dropped in.

Swinging down from the balcony and coming to stand just inches away from Chloé was Ladybug herself.

"Have something to say to me, Germain?"

Chloé watched with a smile as her uncle floundered for what to say. He pointed uselessly up towards the screen with the picture of Marinette-Ladybug in a futile attempt to reconcile what he saw there with the truth he saw in front of him.

Marinette got up off the stage, brushing herself off, and slapping menacingly at Pierre when he reached to restrain her again. With her head held high in dignity she walked down off the stage and stood next to Chloé and Ladybug.

"This-This is a trick!" Germain managed, and Marinette and Ladybug just looked at each other.

"We look enough alike, I suppose." Ladybug looked Marinette up and down. " And I'm flattered you think I look young enough to be a teenager. Especially one with such great taste in clothes." She winked at Marinette before turning her attention back to Germain. "But honestly, Germain, do some research. There are references to Ladybug in ancient Egyptian _hieroglyphics_." She rolled her eyes.

"Nice photo shop, but the people of Paris are done with your lies." Chloé, looked over as her father came to stand beside her, placing his hand on her shoulder.

"I could not have said it better, my dear. Guards!" He called to the police waiting patiently for his signal. "Take him away. My brother will face a full investigation and trial for his crimes." He turned and addressed the crowd with the last part. "Ladybug," He added, turning to the spotted heroine. "Thank you, again, for your continued service. Paris is grateful for your protection, as always."

Ladybug just smiled and winked at Chloé and Marinette.

"Happy to help, as always Mr. Mayor. Bug out!" She swung up to the balcony and out and open window into the Parisian night sky.

Adrien walked up, and embraced Marinette.

"Are you done scaring me to death?" He asked, but there was a smile playing on his lips. "Seven lives now, Mari."

She laughed.

"No promises, chaton."

Alya and Nino joined them then followed shortly by Mathys after Chloé had waved him over. Alya looked exhausted, but pleased and was sipping a cup of espresso while Nino held another for her on deck.

"What happened to you?" Adrien looked perplexed.

"We took down the bad guy." She answered simply, yawning behind her hand and sharing a smile with Chloé and Marinette.

"The plan, my dude." Nino explained, and Adrien laughed out loud.

"Of course!" he smiled brightly at Alya. "I completely forgot."

"And that's why we're here," Marinette patted his chest lightly. "Now come on, Kitty. Show me that chat-like grace. I want to dance."

And he happily obliged.


	51. Chapter 51

Epilogue

Ten years later, and Adrien stood in another suit. Charcoal gray this time with the sage green cravat she always said brought out his eyes. His hair was shorter now, more professional, but still long enough so Marinette could tousle the top like she loved to.

He was freaking out, not in a scared way, but more in an anxious "why haven't I done this sooner?" kind of way. He went over what he was going to say for the hundredth time, and for the hundredth time he stumbled over his words.

"Argh!" he balled his fists into his hair, ignoring the disapproving look from his mother. She had combed it back into place about four times now. Nino just chuckled.

"You want me to call Alys? She can do her voodoo and you can _pretend_ you're actually talking to Marinette."

Adrien smiled. Seeing her would definitely help. Seeing her _always_ helped. Imagining having a Marinette illusion reminded him of the night they took down Germain.

 _"It was an illusion, dad," Chloé explained to her father later when they all gathered in their penthouse apartment. "It's Alya's power." She gestured in the direction of Alya, who was passed out on Nino's shoulder, Trixx in a similar state in her lap. As easy as it came to them, Alya was still new at using her powers, and maintaining such a solid illusion of Ladybug for so long completely drained her. The three espressos and tons of food she ate barely kept her upright for the rest of the party. Thankfully it didn't last too much longer, everyone was worn out from the 'excitement' of the night. They danced for a bit and then the mayor gave his closing speech and everyone started to file out._

 _"So you really are Ladybug," André turned to address Marinette._

 _"Yes, sir."_

 _"And Adrien, you're Chat Noir?" He let out a laugh. "I've known Chat Noir since he was a baby."_

 _Adrien laughed a bit uncomfortably, but also said yes._

 _"Well," the mayor sobered, and placed a hand on each of their shoulders paternally. "I'm happy to know Paris is in such good hands."_

And it was. While there was no Hawkmoth-as both his parents had retired their miraculous, though Nooro and Duusu continued to live with them until another holder had been chosen-there was plenty of crime. They continued to patrol most nights, taking shifts, and helped the police and fire brigade where they could. For the most part, though, they were under the radar and allowed to live their lives.

Adrien continued modeling, although he was still pursuing school and was currently working on his doctoral dissertation in quantum physics. He'd explain it, but as Marinette always said, it was gibberish. Sexy when he said it, but gibberish nonetheless.

Marinette started working for his father as an intern in university. After taking a year to work for a company in London, she came back to Paris and started her own line that skyrocketed to success. She recently signed a deal to the Agreste Agency and would be debuting her first solo line under the family brand in about a month.

Nino was an underground sensation in Paris and was in high demand across Europe. He'd traveled for a few years while the rest attended university and he created enough name recognition now to make a living doing select shows in Paris, traveling when he wanted to, and discovering the next generation of talent.

Alya shocked them all by moving to Africa and the Middle East for a few years. She went undercover covering the refugee crises and dictatorial governments accused of UN violations. She used her miraculous when she needed to, but Trixx was just as happy to go along with it. She'd testified against warlords and spoken out against injustices, and Marinette's eyes shone with pride every time she talked about her to others, but it was obvious she was grateful to have Alya back in Paris and out of harm's way. Her and Nino took a break before university, but lately seemed to be getting cozier.

Chloé followed in her father's political footsteps, but was not quite so in the spotlight. She had had enough of being in front of the camera during her father's run as mayor, and decided her skills were much more suited to behind the scenes. She was the person you called when you needed something done. She made a name for herself, albeit one whispered and not shouted, and when something went wrong and you needed a fixer, she was there. Adrien always joked that it was a good thing they were friends, because the amount of influence she had on people and information about the inner workings of the political and elite world was terrifying. Her power didn't bother Mathys though, whom she married the year before. He'd veered out of politics and was now a French literature professor. They were oddly well-suited.

They'd all found their callings, but without fail they were always called back together. Here they were, ten years later, all living in Paris and a team once more. He looked around the room, tears in his eyes.

"Oh god, here comes the waterworks," Chloé, one of his groomsmen-groomswomen?- walked over and straightened his cravat. "Pull yourself together, mush. You're just marrying the love of your life." _Finally_ , she muttered under her breath but smiled at him nonetheless.

 _Finally_ was his sentiments exactly. An idea sprung into his head, and he checked his watch quickly. _20 minutes_. He had time.

"Plagg, claws out!" he transformed and jumped out the open window, the bemused smirked of Chloé, Nino and his mother watching him as he went.

"Ugh, Alya. It's not _that_ bad luck, right?"

"Girl, no." Alya was resolute. She would not let Marinette go see Adrien, even if she was transformed into Ladybug.

"It's not bad luck. I'm not me. Not _really_. I'm a masked superhero!" Marinette continued to argue futily.

"Mari," Alya lifted her hand to her forehead in exasperation, but whatever she was going to say next was cut off by the screech of the window opening and a blonde head peeking through. One hand was covering his eyes while the other held onto the window frame for dear life.

"Princess? I can't see you before the wedding, but Ladybug…"

"Spots on!" She yelled before he had even finished, and he was in the room and in from of her in a flash.

"You two were made for each other," Alya shook her head, but was suppressing a smile. "2 minutes, that's all!" She pointed a finger at the two of them, her other hand on her hip, before leaving the room.

Chat was embracing her the second Alya left, and she smiled into his neck where she had tucked her face.

"I won't kiss you, because that's testing luck and I'm bad luck to begin with." He pulled back and rested her forehead against her, gazing down and just drinking in the sight of her. He felt the tension start to drain from his body as she reached up and ran her fingers through his hair, tousling the top again. He smiled, leaning into the familiar feeling and humming in happiness. It was humming, not purring, no matter what Marinette told you.

"What did I do to deserve you?" He asked, staring at the tender way she regarded him.

"Oh Kitty," she kissed him on both cheeks, and then pulled back to look at him. "You were you. You're more than I ever hoped for, all I ever wanted, my perfect balance and the perfect partner. You say I have all the luck, and I guess I can't disagree. You found me. You _saw_ me, and today I get to marry my best friend." She reached up to wipe a tear from her eye and released a breathy laugh.

"I have loved you, I love you and I will always love you, Marinette Dupain-Cheng. I am so going to mess up my vows out there," he said and she giggled. She had caught him practicing more than once, with a flustered look on his face. He smiled down at her. "But with you right here, right now, I can say for certainty that I may be destruction and misfortune incarnate, but I was at least granted one single instance of fortune. One ephemeral moment, just a whisper of luck, and it was the first time I saw your face. If in my entire life that's all I get, that's all I'll need. I will forever be eternally grateful that you knocked me over that day." They beamed at each other, remembering that it was quite literally Ladybug's clumsiness that brought them together.

"That you gave me your umbrella," she added and they laughed recalling how their civilian persons had met, too.

"We've faced mountains together," he continued, "and while I wish nothing more for you than a joyful and easy life, something I can promise is that whatever may come, I'll be by your side for as long as you'll have me."

"Forever," she immediately responded.

"Forever, then." They closed their eyes and their heads came together, noses touching just short of a kiss.

"See you at the altar, Bugaboo." He left the ghost of a kiss on her cheek, and was out the window before she opened her eyes.

"I love you, mon chaton." She whispered after him, a smile lighting up her face as she released her transformation. She sat at her vanity and Tikki kissed her cheek before carefully lifting Marinette's veil and placing it over her face. She floated up to rest on the pillow it formed on top her head and gazed down at her charge thinking she had never looked more radiant. Tikki would have to be hidden for the ceremony, so the old friends just sat in silence, enjoying this moment.

Sabine popped her head in, smiling warmly at her daughter and the small god that sat on her head.

"Ready?" She asked and Tikki flew to hide in the red roses of Marinette's bouquet.

Marinette grabbed her bouquet gingerly and practically raced out the door, knowing her happily ever after was waiting at the altar and that was just the beginning.

~~~~~~~~~~~~The End~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 **This epilogue gave me life 3 I mean, I'm a _little_ biased about how much I love it, but it was definitely my all-time favorite to write. Just a bunch of fluffly mush, and gaahhh 33**

 **It's based on a comic on pinterest (** **pin/213991419773539282 ) that I absolutely love and seems SO THEM, so I used it as my inspiration :) **

**Thank you all SO MUCH for sticking with this until the end! This is my first completed story, and I've tremendously appreciated all the comments, favorites, follows. I honestly wrote this for one friend that I share this fandom with, so it makes me really happy to see all the other people who are also invested in this wacky love-square!**

 **And this is the end...for now! I'm playing around with a sequel and it has about 10 chapters so far, but it's looking to be longer than this one with a more intricate plot. Like this one, I won't post until it's complete; so no promises, but I'm excited about it right now! Once I hit about the halfway mark, I'll post a sample chapter here. Stay tuned ;)**

 **Stay UTD on new one-shots and sneak peaks at the sequel - _Never Far Away-_ and follow me on Tumblr: unforgetabELLE**

 **Thanks again!**

 **~unforgetabELLE**


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